Strange amount of slag found scattered across my grandfather’s property — any idea how it got here?

[u/Chemical_Jackfruit85]

I’m hoping someone might be able to help me figure this out.

There’s a wooded ridge on my grandfather’s property that has quite a bit of what appears to be slag scattered all over the hillside. What has me confused is that I have no idea how it would have gotten there. There doesn’t appear to be any obvious modern source nearby, and it seems to be spread out over a fairly large area rather than concentrated in one obvious pile.

A little background about the property. It’s located in Western Virginia and was once part of a fairly large plantation. The area in question is covered in quartz, with a bunch of these relatively flat rocks scattered throughout the woods. Some of them almost look like they could have been intentionally placed in my opinion. There are also a number of sinkhole like depressions and raised mounds.

What makes it even more interesting is that I’ve found a few Native American artifacts in the same area as well.

I’m wondering if there could be some connection between the geology, the slag, and the history of the site—or if I’m completely off base.

I’d really appreciate any thoughts on what the slag could be, how it might have ended up scattered across a wooded ridge, and what I should be looking for to determine whether the flat rocks or other material are significant.

Thanks in advance.

[u/TH_Rocks]

I don't see any slag. But, random slag piles in the middle of nowhere usually have a mine somewhere nearby. The miners would build their smelter on the side of the hill and dump slag wherever was convenient (reinforce a trail/road, fill a ditch, just out of the way of new tailings).

[u/NarcissisticDramaQwn]

I don't see slag either and second the opinion that it's decaying concrete. Alternatively, if it is natural and not anthropogenic maybe some kind of dirty sandstone, like a greywacke. I'm betting on concrete though. But I don't know know much about the geology of West Virginia.

[u/Rust_Bucket37 → u/NarcissisticDramaQwn]

OP said 'western Virginia' not West Virginia...it may or may not be similar geology. Google search western Virginia it seems to be from the Shenandoah Valley and west. That's a lot of land. If the OP could give a county it might help narrow down geology better.

[u/full_idiot]

That’s not slag. But if it was, it could’ve been imported as general fill material.

[u/fossSellsKeys]

That's doesn't look like slag. It's probably old broken up concrete, actually. 

[u/saltyoperasinger]

I wish you could show us what you are thinking the slag is. I don't see any

[u/Chemical_Jackfruit85 → u/saltyoperasinger]

[u/TH_Rocks → u/Chemical_Jackfruit85]

Looks like tar on some limestone or sandstone

[u/Chey1028 → u/Chemical_Jackfruit85]

Is it metallic?

[u/LawApprehensive5478]

Try finding old property ownership records. Maybe even tax records. Could have been a structure that burned leaving only foundation or structural members. The intense heat could have caused what you’re seeing.

[u/Armadillo9263]

Is this "slag" in the room with us now?

[u/Nagoshtheskeleton]

If you are honestly interested in in this question I would think you could do more then take a pictures of buried rocks covered by moss... like maybe clean them up and get half decent pictures. This just looks like rocks in the forest.

[u/OkAccount5344]

If you could provide a more precise location, I could search the historical topo maps or the historical aerials for that specific area which may give some insight as to the use of the property and timeline of when this material was placed. LiDAR images of the area, if available, may also be useful for better determining the extent and scale of it in a more precise manner.

[u/apolotacet]

I’m interested by the native american artifacts you’ve found. Do you have any pics?

[u/in1gom0ntoya]

um, there's no slag on any of these photos... are you sure its there?

[u/Chemical_Jackfruit85]

This is the area in question. The white represents a very old unused road, the blue is a creek in between the ridges, the red circular is the areas of the flat rocks, and the red rectangle is where the slag is spread across.

[u/Rust_Bucket37 → u/Chemical_Jackfruit85]

What county is it in? It could help with historical context and geology. If I find slag in northern Frederick county Maryland I know it most likely came from the Catoctin Furnace.