Flake tool

In archaeology a flake tool is a type of stone tool that was used during the Stone Age that was created by striking a flake from a prepared stone core. People during prehistoric times often preferred these flake tools as compared to other tools because these tools were often easily made, could be made to be extremely sharp and could easily be repaired. Flake tools could be sharpened by retouch to create scrapers or burins. These tools were either made by flaking off small particles of flint or by breaking off a large piece and using that as a tool itself. These tools were able to be made by this "chipping" away effect due to the natural characteristic of stone. Stone is able to break apart when struck near the edge. Flake tools are created through flint knapping, a process of producing stone tools using lithic reduction. Lithic reduction is the removal of a lithic flake from a larger stone in order to reach the desired tool shape and size. The beginning stone is called the flake lithic core. There are three steps to lithic reduction:

Certain types of stone work better for creating flake tools than others. There are two important characteristics when it comes to creating flake tools, cryptocrystalline and conchoidal fracture. relates to a stone structure that is made up of such minute crystals that its crystalline structure is only vaguely revealed. These cryptocrystalline rocks are composed of microscopic crystal like patterns. Since these rocks are not composed of large quartz crystals, they often break as easily as glass and then make conchoidal fractures. Conchoidal fracture describes the way in which materials break when they do not follow the natural planes of separation. These fractures are described as curved. When the stone is struck the blow from the strike it distributed onto the rock in an even fashion, giving the fracture a radial appearance. The production of these lithic tools is only made possible due to their ability to fracture in this way. Examples of such materials include fine-grained materials, such as carbonado, volcanic rocks, obsidian, onyx, and types of glass. These would all be excellent materials for creating flake tools.

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