174 
W.H. Cleverly 
variant or corruption of "mappin", meaning "emu 
stones", a word used by Aborigines for australites 
in Western Australia (Baker 1957). Emus frequently 
use australites as gizzard stones (Fenner 1949). 
3. Mr H.W. Ward’s collection of 39 australites, 
most found singly at points throughout the station 
during his 46 years of occupation. These more 
obvious specimens were collected casually, not as 
a result of intended search and have the very high 
average weight of 6.95 g. 
4. Eighteen specimens found by W.H. and E.I. 
Cleverly during a brief reconnaissance of the 
central part of the station. Two australite flakes 
were found in claypans west of Sunday Well, 31 
km eastnortheast of the homestead. Fifteen flakes/ 
flaked cores and one whole specimen (probably too 
small for use) were found on the slope overlooking 
Jilca Soak from the south, 8 km west of the 
homestead. Flakes of chalcedony, quartzite and 
other siliceous materials were plentiful at the 
recovery sites and broken grinders and base stones 
were especially abundant at Jilca Soak. No 
australites were recovered during any of 20 brief 
searches at a distance from sources of fresh water, 
though other flaked materials were ubiquitous. 
The 334 australites have general morphological 
classification: 
Whole forms or essentially so 57 
Incomplete but classifiable 31 
Total classifiable (Cleverly 1986) 88 
Fragments and indeterminate 66 
Flakes and flaked cores 180 
All four units in the sample contain flakes or 
flaked cores, which constitute 54% of the sample in 
contrast to the mean 1.1% in Eastern Goldfields 
samples (Table 1, item 5). A detailed statement 
using the classification and procedure of Cleverly 
(1986) is inappropriate because most items of the 
Table would be based upon 88 or fewer specimens. 
Moreover, there is bias of location and/or 
australite size in all four units in the sample. 
However, some general conclusions are possible. 
Australites are (or were) sparsely but widely 
present over much of Glenayle Station. They were 
popular with Aborigines as artifact material and 
are now present largely as flakes and flaked cores 
in or around the sources of fresh water. When 
considered in conjunction with the collections from 
Earaheedy Station, it is likely that the destructive 
use of australites was prevalent over a very large 
area with a northsouth dimension of more than 80 
km, though abundant alternative materials were 
available. 
Specific gravities were determined for 100 
australite specimens representing proportionally all 
four units in the sample. The frequency polygon of 
specific gravity with a single strong mode in the 
2.45-2.46 interval and lack of values exceeding 2.47 
Figure 5 Frequency polygon of specific gravity at 0.01 
unit intervals for 100 australites found on 
Glenayle Station, Western Australia. 
(Figure 5) is typical of the "normal australite" 
chemical type which is present also at Earaheedy 
Station (Chapman 1971). 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
I thank Mr M.K. Quartermaine and Mr R.A. 
Quartermaine of Earaheedy Station for their book¬ 
keeping of australite recoveries and numerous 
courtesies, and Mr and Mrs H.W. Ward of 
Glenayle Station for generous hospitality and 
assistance. Additionally to the above persons, the 
following kindly lent australites and/or provided 
information: Messrs A. Quadrio, L.P. Strugnell, 
Chris Ward, Ms ]. Ward, Mr and Mrs L.W. Ward, 
Mr T. Wilks. Ms J.M. Wearne drafted Figures 1, 4 
and 5. Mr M.K. Quartermaine processed my 
photographs used in Figures 2 and 3. Evelyn 
Cleverly and June Emerson typed the manuscript 
and the corrected copy. 
REFERENCES 
Akerman, K. (1975). The use of australites for the 
production of implements in the western desert of 
Western Australia. Occasional Papers in Anthropology, 
Anthropology Museum, University of Queensland 4: 
117-123. 
Baker, G. (1957). The role of australites in Aboriginal 
customs. National Museum of Victoria Memoir 22(8): 
1-26. 
Chapman, D.R. (1971). Australasian tektite geographic 
pattern, crater and ray of origin, and theory of tektite 
events. Journal of Geophysical Research 76:6309-6338. 
Cleverly, W.H. (1973). Australites from Menangina 
Pastoral Station, Western Australia. Chetnie der Erde 
32: 241-258. 
