The Formation of Flakes: The Role of Platform Thickness and Exterior Platform Angle in the Production of Flake Initiations and Terminations

This paper presents the results of several controlled experiments which examined Cotterell & Kamminga's (1987,American Antiquity52, 675–708) model of flake initiations and terminations in relation to platform thickness and exterior platform angle. The results contribute to their model by demonstrating that for a given exterior platform angle, as platform thickness was increased, predictable changes occurred in the type of initiation and terminations produced. In addition, low exterior platform angles were found to produce changes similar to those usually attributed to different indentor types. These experimental results suggest that the differences between bending and conchoidal flakes must be re-evaluated.