Worked or natural? Reading flint honestly
Bulbs, ripples, and platforms versus frost, plough, and wishful thinking.
The commonest identification error in field collecting is seeing tools in naturally broken flint. Human striking leaves a signature: a striking platform, a bulb of percussion below it, ripple marks spreading like a pond, and sometimes a tiny scar (eraillure) on the bulb. Multiple ordered removals sharing a direction seal the case.
Nature mimics: frost shatters flint into angular pieces (but leaves incipient cones and crazed, patinated surfaces), plough and machinery strike fresh scars (but randomly, often through older patina), and rivers roll edges smooth. 'Pot-lid' frost scars are round dished pops with no bulb.
When torn, apply the sequence test: could these removals have happened in one accidental event, or do they require ordered intent? Record honestly — 'possibly worked' is a fine label, and posting clear photos of the suspect surfaces to the board settles most cases quickly.