Hornfels in Victorian archaeological sites

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Hornfels is an unusual and relatively rare stone used in making flaked stone tools, and which is found in Aboriginal archaeological sites in Victoria, Australia.[1] A sample of places where it has been found can be seen in the geographic section below.[2]

The term has been used for ...a group of compact, fine-grained, metamorphic rocks that form as a result of contact between sedimentary country rocks and a magma intrusion. The mineral composition is variable, but commonly contains mica and pyroxene while porphyroblasts of pyroxene, cordierite or andulusite also develop. Sedimentary structures are rarely evident due to a high degree of recrystallisation.[3]

References[edit]

  1. ^ A Record In Stone: The Study Of Australia's Flaked Stone Artefacts By Simon Holdaway, Nicola Stern
  2. ^ Archaeological survey of Aboriginal chert hornfels quarry sites in eastern Tasmania: a report for the Australian Heritage Commission / David Rhodes, Ian Thomas, Melbourne, Vic. Du Cros and Associates, 1994
  3. ^ Archaeological Survey of Gravel Search Area Victoria Highway[permanent dead link]