#orthoquartzite

2 weeks until the launch of "Oneota Archaeological Connections" in the University of Iowa Mobile Museum! The first public event will be at the Mid-America Paleontology Society Expo at the Sharpless Auctions Facility in Iowa City. You can find these large orthoquartzite bifaces from Blood Run in Lyon County on exhibit. They're made from orthoquartzite and were found by collectors before being donated to the Keyes collection. It's possible the orthoquartzite is from a source in Nebraska.

It is incredibly challenging to date a biface, especially with no contextual information, so we cannot determine during what archaeological time period this object was used. What we do know is that it is made of Hixton silicified sandstone, also called orthoquartzite. This unique stone is only found in west central Wisconsin, near Hixton and Black River Falls. Learn more about this stone type and Silver Mound, a large quarry/workshop complex where much of this stone was derived: http://mvac.uwlax.edu/past-cul…/specific-sites/silver-mound/