Where is Chert Nodule found?
Sedimentary rock (silica)
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Open the appChert Nodule occurs in specific geological environments. Knowing where to look, and in what kind of rock, is the difference between going home empty-handed and finding a great specimen.
Where to find Chert Nodule
Chalk Downs of England
Abundant flint (a variety of chert) nodules are found within the Cretaceous chalk formations, particularly in areas like Sussex, Kent, and Wiltshire.
Ohio and Indiana, USA
Extensive chert deposits are found in Mississippian and Pennsylvanian limestones, such as the Burlington Limestone and Vanport Flint.
Ozark Plateau, USA
Significant chert occurrences are associated with Ordovician and Mississippian carbonate rocks, often forming residual deposits in soils.
Western Australia
Precambrian banded iron formations (BIFs) often contain significant chert layers.
Collecting tips
- Look in Limestone and Dolomite Outcrops. Chert nodules are most commonly found embedded within or weathered out of carbonate sedimentary rocks. Examine road cuts, quarries, and natural exposures of these rock types.
- Check Stream Beds and Gravel Pits. Due to its hardness and resistance to weathering, chert often accumulates as resistant pebbles and cobbles in stream beds, river gravels, and glacial till.
- Observe Soil and Field Surfaces. In areas underlain by chert-bearing bedrock, chert nodules often weather out and can be found as float on the surface of fields and in soils.
- Test Hardness and Fracture. Chert is very hard (Mohs 7) and will scratch glass. Its characteristic conchoidal fracture is a key identifier, producing sharp, curved surfaces.
Quick Check
- Color:
- Variable (white, gray, black, brown, red, green)
- Luster:
- Dull to waxy
- Streak:
- White
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