Obsidian Tool Or Just Weird Looking?

[BamaBelle]

I found the following while the water was lowered for winter at a nearby river in Talladega County, Alabama. At first look, I thought it a broken beer bottle and picked it up to keep the kids from cutting their feet in the summer. It's about an inch or so big. But as I looked closer, it was no beer bottle. It may be an amateurish attempt to make glass, but it seems like natural obsidian to me. What intrigued me was the markings on both sides. It's obviously broken (unfortunately), but it seems to have man-made markings on it. What do you think? Partial arrowhead/tool or what????

I am sending two pictures. One from the side that seems to have ridges (like I've seen on some obsidian arrowheads) and the backside, that looks to have scrape marks.

I would love any and all feedback. If it's nothing, at least I'll know...

[Auspex]

It might be bottle glass that was melted in a campfire.

[flyguy784]

It might be bottle glass that was melted in a campfire.

That's exactly what that looks like. You are quick.

[BamaBelle]

Good call. That's most likely what it is... (unfortunately LOL)

[wesgrey]

I found a large (2 fists) sized piece of similar material near what I believe was the Sinkhole Spring in Talladega. Chipping with a sledge hammer broke off a knifelike chunk that I gave to a friend in Birmingham. We both suspected it to be obsidian. It's a dark gray green color. Two architects I asked say obsidian too. From a photo an archeologist from Jacksonville U says it's more likely slag in a pure form. Most slag has bubbles in it, but some he says is dark glass without such imperfections. Googling I find that a gray green iron ore was mined in Talladega County and I know that on the Fort Lashley (Leslie) hilltop and to the west of there after the civil war was an iron ore foundry.

The markings on yours could be from the slag ladel or something on the ground where the slag was poured, or perhaps they poured slag samples into small marked casts for testing.

Obsidian may be natural slag from volcanic melt, where more glassy molecules gathered in ionic bond like birds of a feather sticking together.

There were it looks like, two foundries on Talladega Creek within the National Forest lands and two others outside.

http://www.alatrails.com/forum/index.php?topic=2581.0 talks about things found in the Waldo area.

Keep us informed about what you find plz.

[Auspex]

If your chunk is obsidian, it most likely would have had to have been imported to the area.

As far as foundry slag, would that be so solidly glassy? I'm used to such being more like vitrified cinders.

[Herb]

Looks like old bottle glass to me.

[evannorton]

_{My vote is for glass bottle - most of the obsidian I have seen is darker in color. Cool piece of glass though!}