Nottoway River quartzite, Sussex County, Virginia

Type Quartzite

Collection Location:
The quartzite occurs in cobble form along a 10 mile stretch of the Nottoway River in the vicinity of Stony Creek, Virginia where the river parallels the Fall Line. There exists a thick bed of cobbles, mainly quartzite,

Description
Within these cobble deposits are varieties of quartzite, two which are more highly metamorphized. This allows the flaking force to more readily through the stone. Thus, when compared to most quartzite, this material is easier to flake. One is a shinny gray-blue in color and the other is a root beer brown quartzite. The gray-blue quartzite when flaked is less ‘tough’ than regular quartzite (according to Errett Callahan).

Distribution
Tools from this quartzite are widely distributed along the Nottoway River in the Interior Coastal Plain of Virginia and east to the western scarp of the Dismal Swamp.

Cultural Implications
Points from all time periods, Paleoindian through Late Woodland, made tools from this quartzite, although the people that flaked the large Fort Nottoway points (Early Archaic) preferred this material.

References

Prepared By
McAvoy (personal communication 1999); Egloff 2008