{{short description, Characteristic in lithic reduction
In lithic reduction, termination type is a characteristic indicating the manner in which the distal end of a
lithic flake
In archaeology, a lithic flake is a "portion of rock removed from an objective piece by percussion or pressure,"Andrefsky, W. (2005) ''Lithics: Macroscopic Approaches to Analysis''. 2d Ed. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press and may also be refe ...
detaches from a core (Andrefsky 1998:18). Common types include:
* Step/snap termination – these occur when a flake snaps or breaks during removal, resulting in an abrupt right-angle break.
* Hinge termination – results when the applied force rolls away from the core or objective piece, creating a rounded or blunted distal end.
* Overshot/outrepasse/plunging termination - occurs when the applied force dips and removes a section of the opposite margin of the artifact or the distal end of the core. Also referred to as a reverse hinge termination.
* Perverse termination - "twisting" breaks resulting from when the applied force is redirected through the material in a helical fashion;
* Feather/monotomic termination – a smooth termination that results in a feathered distal end. The distal ends of these flakes are only a few molecules thick, are extremely sharp, and indicate a flawless detachment. These are the intended results of some lithic reduction techniques, and are very desirable for opportunistic tool use that does not require retouching or sharpening.
References
* Andrefsky, William, Jr. (1998) ''Lithics: Macroscopic approaches to analysis''. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Lithics