About This Carved Stone
A piece of hornfels, a fine-grained metamorphic rock formed when intense heat from magmatic intrusion alters the surrounding country rock. Hornfels is characterized by its hardness and conchoidal fracture, and it has been used historically as a toolmaking material dating back to prehistory. The specimen was recovered from Lot 5 in 1998.
The rock's presence on Oak Island is geologically out of place. The island sits on a formation belonging to the Windsor Group, composed primarily of anhydrite, gypsum, and limestone. Hornfels does not occur naturally in this geological setting, which means the piece was brought to the island from elsewhere. Whether it arrived as ballast, as a tool, or for some other purpose has not been established. Its classification as a carved stone suggests the specimen may bear surface markings, though detailed analysis results have not been published.
Lot 5, where the hornfels was found, has since become one of the most artifact-rich locations on the island. Excavations during Seasons 10 through 13 recovered Roman coins, a lead barter token matched isotopically to the 14th-century lead cross, Venetian trade beads, a 13-foot circular stone pit, and pottery dating to the mid-1700s. The hornfels predates these modern excavations by more than two decades.
Historical Context
Photo copyright Robert Young https://oakislandlotfive.com/
Where It Was Found
Found at Lot 5 — Oak Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.
