Flint

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Flint (or flintstone) is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline silicate rock with a glassy appearance. Flint is usually dark-grey, blue, black, or deep brown in color. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in chalks and limestones.

A type of quartz, this material was one of the most commonly used materials for the manufacture of stone tools during the Stone Age, as it splits into thin, sharp splinters called flakes or blades (depending in the shape) when struck by another hard object (such as a hammerstone made of another material). It remained an essential mineral resource for making fire. However, a major use was to create the spark that would ignite the powder that would fire a ball or bullet from a flintlock firearm. While the military use of a flintlock declined after the British military generally applied the percussion cap on their muskets in 1842, it is still popular to use the flintlock as a hunting rifle during special muzzleloader seasons or general rifle seasons in several states in the US. It was also used extensively from the 13th century until the present day as a material for building stone walls, especially in England.

In Europe, some of the best toolmaking flint has come from Belgium (Obourg, flint mines of Spiennes), the coastal chalks of the English Channel, the Paris Basin, the Sennonian deposits of Rügen and the Jurassic deposits of the Kraków-area in Poland. Flint mining is attested since the Palaeolithic, but became more common since the Neolithic (Michelsberg culture, Funnelbeaker culture).

In chalky coastal areas of England flint has also been used as a building and walling material, predating the common use of bricks but laid in a similar manner, using lime mortar.

Also in England, flint pebbles are still used in grinding mills to make glazes for the Potteries. The pebbles are hand-selected for colour, pebbles showing a reddish tint indicating the presence of iron being discarded. The remaining blue-grey stones are almost pure silicon oxides and will not contaminate the colours.

Image:Flintbeach.jpg

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