Material · lithic
Burlington chert
North America — Eastern Woodlands
Burlington chert is the white to light-grey Mississippian-age chert of Missouri, Illinois and Iowa, the workhorse material of the American Bottom and the Ozarks from Paleoindian times through Cahokia. It was quarried at the Crescent Hills near St. Louis and elsewhere. Cahokia points, Dalton points and Mill Creek hoes are among its products.
| Kind | lithic |
|---|---|
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Sources
The Burlington limestone crops out along the Mississippi River valley from southeast Iowa through Missouri and western Illinois, with the Crescent quarries in Jefferson County, Missouri, the most famous aboriginal source. Nodules and beds are abundant in stream gravels and bluffs. Related Keokuk chert occurs in the same formation.
Identification
Burlington is opaque white, cream or light grey with a fine texture, often containing crinoid fragments and other fossils, and turns pink to red and glossy when heat-treated. It is less lustrous than Flint Ridge. Weathered surfaces develop a chalky white patina.
Substitutes and fakes
Because it is abundant and easy to heat-treat, Burlington is the favourite raw material of Missouri and Illinois reproducers of Dalton, Cahokia and Hardin points; modern heat-treatment produces an even pink gloss. Patina and provenance are the checks.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Burlington chert" (Material). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/materials/burlington-chert. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-burlington-chert,
title = {Burlington chert},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/materials/burlington-chert}},
year = {2026},
note = {Material article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.