A cast of the Cinmar biface, molded from the authentic original. Found associated with Mastadon bones dated to 23,000 years ago, 50 miles out to sea on the Chesapeake Bay.
 
In 1974, the crew of the offshore dredging vessel CINMAR dredged up this biface along with fragments of a mastadon molar and tusk from 75 meters beneath the sea level on the outer edge of the Continental Shelf, the Last Glacial Maximum shore of the James Peninsula, adjacent to the south lagoon of the Ice Age Chesapeake Bay.
 
Radiocarbon dating indicated the 30-year old female mastadon lived 23,000 years ago.  The biface is made from rhyolite.  This material was sourced by the Smithsonian Institution as originating from South Mountain in Pennsylvania.   NOTE:  The first two pictures are the original, showing patination.   The last picture is the cast, done in solid color for better showing of flake scars.
 
This early stone tool has evidence of usewear as a knife, and it was recently spotlighted in the Paleoindian Odyssey Conference in Santa Fe in 2013.  This archaeology conference was held to cover the topics of the earliest peopleing of the Americas, and this tool possible represents the earliest artifact known in North America.  This cast and photos are copyrighted by Occoquan Paleotechnics LLC in 2013 and are not able to be reproduced without consent.