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Archaeology In the Parks: An Ancient Quarry In Catoctin Mountain Park

Submitted by NPT Staff on September 13, 2012 - 1:06am

With its densely forested landscape, Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland doesn't easily give up its secrets. But if you have a trained eye, you can spot ancient quarries Native Americans relied on for their tools.

In the following short video produced by the National Park Service, an archaeologist takes you to a spot in the park that has a long history of providing material for stone tools and weapons.

Comments

Submitted by R Michael Stewart (not verified) on September 23, 2012 - 6:47am.

"Rhyolite" is a term that archaeologists working in the Middle Atlantic Region use. The rock is actually metarhyolite, meaning that the original rhyolite bedrock had been transformed by heat and pressure long before native Americans were present on the landscape. Using the correct terminology makes a difference since elsewhere in the eastern U.S. are Indian quarries where unaltered rhyolite was exploited.