Silver Mound Archeological District - Geography and Geology

Geography and Geology

Silver Mound is in the town of Hixton, Jackson County, Wisconsin. Its sandstone was laid down long ago in the Cambrian era, like many other bluffs in the area. But in this sandstone a layer of very hard stone called silicated quartzite or orthoquartzite formed. Stone like this is fairly uncommon. With simple tools it can be broken into pieces and shaped into points through a process called knapping. And this quartzite from Silver Mound can be distinguished by technical analyses from similar orthoquartzite from other locations.

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