Similar to Grimes Canyon Fused Shale, this material was created from supper heated surface combustion. The sand melted between the layers of dirt and rock creating lenses of beautiful green glass. The variant here would be the absence of micro-vesicles found in the Grimes Canyon Fused Shale. When I first found this deposit a few years ago, there were about eight colors ranging from dark blues through yellow. Now the only color left is olive green. The Kern material also occurs in lenses. The Fused Shale was utilized by native cultures for flintknapping and many artifacts can me seen made of this material. The Kern River Green Obsidian was created sometime in the historic period, and it was not likely utilized for flintknapping until I found it two years ago. It appears a localized oil fire burn here for an extended period, with great amounts of heat. Until today, I am the only one that knows about this rare lithic resource.
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