Materials Identification Guide

Missouri Lithic Material

 











Name Natural Non-heat treated points Heat treated points Color details Primary found in: Associated Formation / Member
Argentine Chert Ranges in color from a light tan to a pale to medium gray.  Light mottling or streaking may be present.  Northwestern Missouri  Argentine Member, Wyandotte Limestone Formation
Atoka Argillite   Ranges in color from a dark gray to black Southwestern Missouri Atoka formation
Atoka  Chert Ranges from a medium to dark gray Southwestern Missouri Atoka formation
Atoka Siltstone   Ranges from a medium to dark gray Southwestern Missouri Atoka formation
Auburn Chert   White to bluish white West central Missouri Plattin Limestone Formation
Bailey Chert Ranges from shades of light gray to tan or beige or caramels Southeastern Missouri Bailey Formation Limestone
Barren Fork Chert
Barren Fork Chert ranges from a light to medium gray or a tan.
Southwestern Missouri Sallisaw Formation
Baylis Chert   Northeastern Missouri Baylis Formation
Bayou Manard Chert Black chert with white fossil specks Northwestern Missouri Moorefield formation, Bayou Menard member
Blair / St. David Chert Moderately translucent chert that ranges in color from a medium gray to dark bluish gray with brownish mottling and grayish streaks. Southeastern Missouri Carbondale Group of the St. David Limestone
Boone Chert
AKA: Sallisaw Chert, Grand Falls Chert, Ti Valley Chert
Ranges from a light gray to white Southwestern Missouri Boone Limestone Formation
Bowling Green Chert   Southeastern Missouri Bowling Green Member of the Edgewood Limestone Formation
Burlington Chert Varies from white to gray or tan.  Banding and mottling may be present Eastern Missouri Burlington Limestone Formation
Cedar Hill Chert   Missouri  
Chouteau Chert Ranges from a light to medium gray.  Oolites form whitish speckles throughout the material with vugs present. East central Missouri Chouteau Formation
Cobden- Dongola Chert
AKA: Anna Chert, Hornstone, and St. Louis Ball Chert
  Shades of dark gray to blue-gray which may be solid or have dark gray bands Southeastern Missouri St. Louis Limestone
Compton Chert Bluish black chert Southwestern Missouri Compton Formation of the Chouteau Group
Cotter Chert
AKA: Swan Creek Chert
Ranges in color from a light gray or blue with light tan to white banding.  Southwestern Missouri Cotter Formation
Coyote Creek Chert
(Burlington Chert variant)
  Missouri  
Crescent Chert
(Burlington Chert variant)
Ranges from a brilliant white to a icy blue and commonly banding of darker colors. East central Missouri Burlington Limestone Formation
Crowley's Ridge Chert Ranges from brown to tan, greyish tan, yellowish tan, or cream. Southeastern Missouri Glacial Till
Crushman Chert
AKA for Boone Chert
Mottled dark gray Southwestern Missouri Boone Limestone formation
Dongola Chert Dark tan to dark brown with banding of dark brown Southeastern Missouri St. Louis formation
Dupo Chert
Burlington Chert variation
  Illinois, Missouri  
Elsey Chert Ranges from a solid white to cream or a mottled white to cream with irregular blotches or spots of gray and brown. Southwestern Missouri Elsey Formation
Eminence Chert Commonly gray, but may vary to a dark gray or reddish brown, vugs and fine banding of cloudy white and light gray may be present East central Missouri Eminence Formation
Ervine Creek Chert Ranges from a light medium gray to a dark gray.  Larger white specks are formed by fossils Northwestern Missouri Ervine Creek Limestone Member, Deer Creek Limestone Formation
Everton Interclastic Chert
AKA: Everton Chert
Primarily a white to light brown, brown or tan.  May vary from a pink-red, purple, and grey.  Commonly brecciated. Southwestern Missouris Everton Formation
Everton Quartzite Ranges from a light to dark white to gray with weak banding of white and gray. Southwestern Missouri Everton Formation
Excello Chert Ranges from a dark bluish black to black.  Chalcedony veins are commonly seen through the material Northern Missouri Excello Formation
Fayetteville Chert   Missouri  
Fern Glenn Chert   East central Missouri Fern Glenn formation
Fort Scott Chert
AKA: Bixby Black Chert
Ranges from a dark bluish black to black. Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri Fort Scott Formation of the Henrietta (Marmaton) Group
Fortune Chert Ranging from a light cream to olive brown or tan color with mottling of a citrine drab to grayish olive gray and white speckles Southwestern Missouri Fortune Formation
Gasconade Chert Banded ranging from a light gray to a dark gray East central Missouri Gasconade Formation
Girardeau Black Chert Dark bluish black chert. Southeastern Missouri Girardeau Limestone Formation, Maquoketa Group
Grand Falls Chert
AKA: Butcher Knife Chert
Light gray color and may vary to brown Southwestern Missouri Grand Falls Member of the Boone Formation
Grover Gravel Chert
Lafayette Gravel variation
Ranges from brown to tan, greyish tan, yellowish tan, or cream. Mottling is commonly seen, and rarely banding may be present.  East central Missouri Lafayette Gravel Formation
Harvester Creek Chert Mottled light tannish brown to an orangish brown East central Missouri Salem Formation
Hertha Chert White to a light gray color Northwestern Missouri Sniabar Member, Hertha Limestone Formation of the Kansas City Group
High View Chert
Burlington Chert variant
  Missouri  
Hindsville Chert Translucent gray with mottling of light blue to blue, gray, and light browns. Southwestern Missouri Hindsville Limestone Member of the Batesville Formation
Jefferson City Chert
Type 1: Oolitic
Ranges from an off white to a pale blue with white oolitic speckles Southern Missouri Jefferson City Formation
Jefferson City Chert
Type 2: Banded
Ranging from a off white to a pale purple with narrow banding alternating banding of  brown, blue, and purple Southern Missouri Jefferson City Formation
Jefferson City Chert
Type 3: Mottled
Ranging from a off white to a pale purple with streaking, swirling, or disturbed banding of  brown, blue, and purple Southern Missouri Jefferson City Formation
Jefferson City Chert
Type 4: Dense
White with a pearly luster Southern Missouri Jefferson City Formation
Jefferson City Quartzite Light and dark colors of white, pink, red, brown, and gray, homogenous to weak banding or weak mottling, occasional vugs and voids are present. Southern Missouri Jefferson City Formation
Kaolin Chert Ranges from hues of golden tans to gray and reds.  Light banding may be present. Southeastern Missouri Paleozoic Limestone formation
Keokuk Chert-Burlington Chert Ranges from creamy white to grays with yellow and brown streaking Northeastern Missouri Keokuk Member, Burlington Limestone Formatione
Keokuk Chert Ranges from a creamy white to a whitish pink with streaks or patches of whitish brown or whitish pink and reddish spots commonly present.  Southwestern Missouri
Keokuk Formation of the St. Joes Group
Kimmswick Chert Opaque and gray in color.  Sparse black speckles are formed by pyritiferous particles. Southern Missouri Kimmswick Formation
Kincaid Fossiliferous Chert Ranges from a light gray or bluish gray to brown in color with speckles formed by fossils. Southeastern Missouri Kincaid formation
Kornthal Chert Breccia
AKA: McNairy Chert Breccia
Brecciated to conglomeritic ranging from a pinkish gray, to red most common, blue, yellow, brown, and inclusions of white chert or quartz Southeastern Missouri McNairy Formation
Laberdie Chert   West central Missouri Laberdie Limestone member of the Vamoosa Formation
Lafayette Chert Most commonly ranges from brown to tan, greyish tan, yellowish tan, or cream, less common white and black occur. Mottling or rarely banded Eastern to southeastern Missouri Lafayette Gravel Formation
Lafayette Quartzite     Eastern to southeastern Missouri Lafayette Gravel Formation
Lindsey Bridge Chert Ranges in color from white to tan or blue. Southwestern Missouri Lindsey Bridge  Limestone Member of the Moorefield Formation
Mansker Chert Ranges in color from a tan to a dark brown or gray.  Speckles from fossil remains may be present. Southeastern Missouri  
McNairy Quartzite   Tightly packed pale yellowish quartzite with limited or no inclusions.  Red staining may be present. West central Missouri McNairy Formation
Mill Creek Chert Vary from white to gray, grayish brown, orange white to orange gray, or pale blue to black.  Concentric banding may be present Southeastern Missouri Salem / Ullim Limestone formation
Montrose Chert Light to medium bluish gray and often resembles a chert breccia. Northeastern Missouri Montrose Member of the Keokuku Limestone Formation
Mozarkite Chert   Ranges from hues and shades of gray, brown, pink, purple, and green.  Concentric banding or mottling is present. Central Missouri Cotter Formation
Osage Chert
Osage Undifferentiated Chert
Ranges from a white to light gray or light brown.  Occasionally gray to dark gray mottling is present. Missouri Osage Series
Payson Chert
AKA: Adams County Flint
Banded ranging in color from a tan to orange or red Northeastern Missouri  
Penters Chert
AKA: Pinters Chert
  Ranges from a highly variegated ranging from medium to dark gray, bluish gray, grayish brown, or mottled ranging white to pale gray or pale brown. Southwestern Missouri Penters Formation
Peoria Chert
AKA: Tahlequah  Chert
Primarily white but ranges to a pale yellowish what to a yellowish brown or pink Southwestern Missouri Tahlequah Member of the Moorefield Formation
Pierson Chert Ranges in color from a mottled gray, cream, and brown to light blue or brick red Southwestern Missouri Pierson Formation of the Osagean Series
Pitkin Chert Ranges from a dark bluish gray to black.  Light blue may occur. Non-concentric banding and vugs may be present.  White speckles  commonly present Southern Missouri Pitkin Limestone Formation
Plattsburg Chert Light brown color. Northwestern Missouri Plattsburg Limestone Formation
Potosi Chert         East central Missouri Potosi Dolomite Formation
Reed's Spring Chert
AKA: Carr Branch Chert
Opaque chert ranging in color from a bluish gray to a light gray or yellowish brown. Southwestern Missouri Reed's Springs formation
Republic Chert Knotted chert with alternating bands of light and dark. Southwestern Missouri Republic Formation, Graydon Sandstone Formation
Roubidoux Chert Ranges in color from white, gray, yellow or cream, and nearly black. East central Missouri Roubidoux Formation
Roubidoux Quartzite   East central Missouri Roubidoux Formation
Sedalia Chert Ranges from a white to light gray. Central Missouri Sedalia Formation of the Chouteau Group
Sexton's Creek Chert Ranges from a light bluish gray to a caramel brown Southeastern Missouri Sexton's Creek Limestone Formation
Shakopee Chert Ranges from white to gray with contrasting banding Northeastern Missouri Shakopee Dolomite formation
Spencer Chert
AKA: Decaturville Chert
        Central Missouri Maquoketa Shale Formation
Spergen Chert
AKA: Spergen Crystalline Saccaroidal Dolomite
Commonly banded or mottled and ranges in color from a very light gray to a gray or brownish gray, and a pale yellow to a tan Northeastern Missouri Spergen Formation
Spring Hill Chert Strongly mottled and ranges from light to dark gray with dark speckles being present. Northwestern Missouri  Spring Hill Member, Plattsburg Limestone Formation
St. David Chert
Blair - St. David Chert
Moderately translucent chert that ranges in color from a medium gray to dark bluish gray with brownish mottling and grayish streaks. Southeastern Missouri Carbondale Formation of the St. David Limestone
St. Francois  Rhyolite   Reddish color Southeastern Missouri  
St. Louis Green Chert
AKA: St. Louis Formation Chert
Varying shades from light gray green to yellow green Southeastern Missouri St. Louis Formation
Ste. Genevieve Chert
AKA: Old Blue Chert
Ranges from light to medium blue, gray, and black, to olive gray and yellowish gray with gray concentric bands commonly present  Southeastern Missouri Ste. Genevieve Limestone Formation
Strawberry Chert       Eastern Missouri  
Stoner Chert
Type A and B
Ranges from light to medium gray or a grayish tan with white veins. Northwestern Missouri Stoner Member of the Stanton Formation, Lansing Group
Toronto Chert Homogenous ranging from a white to a pale brown or yellowish brown. Northwestern Missouri Toronto Limestone Member, Oread Formation of the Shawnee Group
Van Buren Chert       White Central Missouri Van Buren Limestone Formation
Westerville Chert Ranges from homogeneous to mottled ranging from a pale brown to a light yellowish brown or brownish yellow and thin bands of white may be present. Northwestern Missouri Westerville Limestone Member of the Cherryvale Shale Formation
Winterset Chert
AKA: Fusulinid Chert, Zebra Chert
Primarily homogenous, ranging to mottled or layered, ranging from a light to dark gray or brownish gray, opaque may have a "zebra" appearance Northwestern Missouri Winterset Limestone Member of the Dennis Limestone Formation, Kansas City Group
Wyandotte Chert
AKA: Indiana Hornstone, Harrison County Chert
  Ranges in color from a medium bluefish gray to a medium light gray.  Banding is common and is various shades of gray Southeastern Missouri Fredonia Member of the Ste. Genevieve Limestone formation
Yankee Town Chert Ranges in color from a light gray to a pale yellow.  Banding may be present, has a "knotty" appearance. Southeastern Missouri Yankeetown Chert Member of the Cedar Bluff Group