Everything about Flint totally explained
Flint (or
flintstone) is a hard,
sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the
mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of
chert. Flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or deep brown in colour, and often has a waxy appearance. It occurs chiefly as
nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as
chalks and
limestones. From a
petrological point of view, "flint" refers specifically to the form of
chert which occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Similarly, "common chert" (sometimes referred to simply as "chert") occurs in limestone.
The exact mode of formation of flint isn't yet clear or agreed but it's thought that it occurs as a result of chemical changes in compressed sedimentary rock formations, during the process of
diagenesis. One
hypothesis is that a gelatinous material fills cavities in the sediment, such as holes bored by
crustaceans or
molluscs and that this becomes
silicified. This theory certainly explains the complex shapes of flint nodules that are found. The source of dissolved silica in the porous media could arise from the spicules of silicious sponges.), the coastal chalks of the
English Channel, the
Paris Basin,
Thy in
Jutland (flint mine at Hov), the Sennonian deposits of
Rügen,
Grimes Graves in England 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).
Fire
When struck against
steel, flint will produce
sparks, which when directed onto
tinder can be used to start a
fire. This occurs when the hard flint knocks off a particle of the steel, which is heated by the impact, and then burns with oxygen from the atmosphere. This method is popular in
woodcraft and among
campers who want to have an 'authentic' experience. Striking a lump of flint against a piece of steel to make fire isn't particularly easy or convenient (although it's much easier than other primitive fire-making methods such as using a
bow and drill). Because of this, a
similar technology has been miniaturized and integrated into
lighters, which are easy to use without skill or practice. The
ferrocerium used in these lighters, while sometimes called "flint", works differently from true flint-and-steel, with the steel scraping off slivers of burning ferrocerium, the reverse of traditional flint-and- steel. Starting a fire with flint, however, is a staple of
scouting lore.
A later 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's still popular to use the flintlock as a hunting rifle during special
muzzleloader seasons or general
rifle seasons in several states in the
US.
Building
Flint was used extensively from the
13th century until the present day as a material for building stone walls, especially in parts of the
UK. In chalky areas, mostly coastal, but also including inland areas such as the
North and
South Downs in southern 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. For instance, flint was used in the construction of many churches and other buildings in
East Anglia,
Kent,
Sussex and
Surrey.
Ceramics
Flint pebbles are used as the media in ball mills to grind glazes and other raw materials for the ceramics industry. The pebbles are hand-selected for colour, with those showing a reddish tint, indicating the presence of
iron, being discarded. The remaining blue-grey stones have a low content of
chromophoric oxides and so should impart lesser amounts of colouring contaminants.
In the UK, flint pebbles were traditionally an important raw material for clay-based
ceramic bodies; after high temperature treatment, to remove organic impurites and induce certain physical reactions,
calcined flint performed a similar role to the quartz sand used in other countries, for example after milling to fine particle size was the filler component in
pottery bodies. Because of this historical use, the term
flint is now used by American potters for all siliceous fillers.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Flint'.
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