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finding a lot of light highly vesicular 'slag' for want of a beter word. (no not pumice) there is a light blue tinge to it. and the exterior of it is vitrified. they range in size from 10mm to 40mm in size and seem only to appear in lcoations where numan action has filled in uneven holes in the bedrock to level it off. we can't decide if the material was created in situ or brought in with the leveling material... also the added bonus of gorse which has been burnt severa times, thus heat affecting the soils... (well, the thin layer of soil!)
My question is what the hell is this stuff?
Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Mohandas Gandhi
For really I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he
Thomas Rainborough 1647
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thats what I said
I watched ray mears cook in a termite hill the other day if that?s any help.
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will do... but will be later this week.
Do we have evidence for 'naturally occuring' slags?
Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Mohandas Gandhi
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From the description it sounds like a couple of bits of "slag" I found on our local disused railway line many years ago*. Pale bluee crust about 1cm thick with vesicular material on what I assume was on the inside. I always assumed it was slag used as ballast when laying the lines (some of the other ballast material I recall was vesicular grey stuff).
* by "many" it was probably about 35!
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hummmm... I am in a field overlooking St Abbs, on a knoll... and these are within sealed context levels.. I was wondering if it could be soil affected by gorse burning... ... hummm... will get photos
Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position.
Mohandas Gandhi
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still not enough context
but haven?t you done enough, I mean in terms of the written scheme of works, you have a client I presume who has paid you because they were made to, for you to go and be there, you have brought your skill which because of the history of rescue archaeology a skill you would have been otherwise using to direct a dig on a Greek island on 40 thousand a year with pension and third wife, you have the decency to admit that you do not know what it is that you have found, you have in fact created a mystery, you can put that in a report. You had better watch out that you don?t get specialists involved because they are going to cut into your profit and time. I myself find it impossible to see anything which I don?t recognise which has resulted unfortunately in a lack of a discard policy. Make sure that you wash and dry all this stuff on site if you are on a day rate.
All the best
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defo slag but can't remember what type!
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Sounds like it might be post medieval blast furnace slag. Medieval and Roman slag tends to be a dark colour and very dense and heavy especially tap slag. Smithing slag can be more vesicular but is still denser than blast furnace slag. I also think I remember seeing some small degraded looking pieces which were pale grey and vesicular and dated to the Iron Age, so it's a bit difficult to pass an opinion without seeing your material.
By the way, hi everyone. First post!
