Possible stone tool and strange erosion

Clambering carefully down a creek bank something caught my eye. It was razor sharp and seemed to be quite different to the gravelly pebbles around. It was as big as the palm of my hand and it sat on its own little tower of fragile creek bank. It had somehow protected three or four delicate inches of dirt from the effects of rain - how many seasons, I don’t know. I doubt it could have sat there for a long time, as surely something would have knocked it down. Or could someone have placed it there a hundred or more years ago, and the creek bank changed around about it? Or was it placed nearby and washed down in rains or kicked there by a buffalo? To me it looks like part of an axe head, or perhaps a handy blade for skinning and cutting game.

I left it there, feeling glad to have seen it.

Sure is markedly different than the surrounding rock bed.
Neat find.

Where was this found? I have a small collection of stone tools from the Thabazimbi area of Limpopo.
Very nice discovery!
Someone should start a thread dedicated to natural history/archeology/geology discoveries or questions while out hunting.

Nkawu said:

Where was this found? I have a small collection of stone tools from the Thabazimbi area of Limpopo.
Very nice discovery!
Someone should start a thread dedicated to natural history/archeology/geology discoveries or questions while out hunting.

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+1

Nkawu, found on a tributary creek of the Roper River east of Katherine.

BenKK said:

Nkawu, found on a tributary creek of the Roper River east of Katherine.

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I Googled the location and this is the picture Goolge had associated with it



I presume there are nicer locations nearby

BenKK said:

I left it there, feeling glad to have seen it.

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You are a bigger man than I, Gunga Din...

It is nicer than that image for the most part.

BenKK said:

Clambering carefully down a creek bank something caught my eye. It was razor sharp and seemed to be quite different to the gravelly pebbles around. It was as big as the palm of my hand and it sat on its own little tower of fragile creek bank. It had somehow protected three or four delicate inches of dirt from the effects of rain - how many seasons, I don’t know. I doubt it could have sat there for a long time, as surely something would have knocked it down. Or could someone have placed it there a hundred or more years ago, and the creek bank changed around about it? Or was it placed nearby and washed down in rains or kicked there by a buffalo? To me it looks like part of an axe head, or perhaps a handy blade for skinning and cutting game.

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Without seeing this it appears to have acted as a protective cap for the mud below, allowing a standing column of dry mud to form under. There are many geological features in the world that were formed this way, as I am sure you know. Check out Mexican Hat Utah. But the shape and configuration suggest to me that it may have been a knife / scraper.
The ranch on which I was raised has been designated an archeological site, in northern BC, Canada. We found many similar hand sized tools, spear heads, shards, etc, including balls of ancient pemmican. This was dried shredded meat, mixed with dry berries, and held together with melted fat. It was then formed into a ball the size of a huge grapefruit, covered in moist clay, and buried in a cache in the ground to be recovered later. We were the first ranchers there and turned all this stuff up in the course of working the fields.

You described it perfectly - a protective cap for the mud / dirt below.

BenKK said:

It is nicer than that image for the most part.

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Beautiful, you should update Google!

BenKK said:

Clambering carefully down a creek bank something caught my eye. It was razor sharp and seemed to be quite different to the gravelly pebbles around. It was as big as the palm of my hand and it sat on its own little tower of fragile creek bank. It had somehow protected three or four delicate inches of dirt from the effects of rain - how many seasons, I don’t know. I doubt it could have sat there for a long time, as surely something would have knocked it down. Or could someone have placed it there a hundred or more years ago, and the creek bank changed around about it? Or was it placed nearby and washed down in rains or kicked there by a buffalo? To me it looks like part of an axe head, or perhaps a handy blade for skinning and cutting game.

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BENKK
It looks to me to day an Aboriginal knife used for skinning small animals. I would need more pictures and measurements to be sure.
Cheers
Bob