How Flakes Form: Modeling the Initiation and Propagation Phases of Flake Formation

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The shape and size of lithic artifacts are a main source of information about the technical and technological behaviors of past peoples. The mechanics of how flakes are formed is thus one of the central questions of lithic studies and one that Harold Dibble was intently focused on throughout his entire career. Replicative experimental work revealed how manipulating different knapping parameters (hammers, core surfaces, striking angles, platforms) results in different flake outcomes. However, investigating the mechanics of flake fracture can provide a robust model of how these variables are impacting the flake form. According to fracture mechanics studies, flake formation is divided into initiation (crack and bulb formation), propagation (fracture plane traveling through the core), and termination phases (when the fracture plane finishes intersecting the core surface). Here, we used flakes from the Dibble et al. controlled experiments to better understand the mechanics of the initiation and propagation phases of flake formation and to model their impact on flake size and shape. Specifically, we look at initial flake expansion, bulb formation, the placement of the fracture plane, and the relationship between the fracture plane and the core morphology.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Establishing the Science of Paleolithic Archaeology: The Legacy of Harold Dibble (1951–2018) Part I   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36497.0