Figure 12a: PPL view at x10 of sample HLB.21 showing general texture (width of field c. 6mm)
Macroscopic paste description: White stonepaste, moderately porous, with granularity visible.
Petrographic description: Stonepaste body of angular predominantly quartz grains fused together by filamentous glass. Consists of about 50% quartz comprising 3-8% clear, 10-20% slightly cloudy, 10-30% cloudy, 3-10% very cloudy, including trace to 4% polycrystalline, trace to 10% 'sheared'; predominantly undulose with some strongly undulose and straight extinctions; with occasional trace feldspar, rare trace chert, and rare carbonate; all in well-sorted angular grains with calculated mode diameter of 0.02mm and maximum of 0.4mm. In many respects this is not too dissimilar from the 'Ma'arrat' Petrofabric, although the generally coarser grainsize, the presence of feldspar, and the generally relatively clearer quartz 'Ma'arrat' distinguishes it (samples with laboratory number beginning with HLB are from Aleppo and are currently in the excavation storehouse).
Figure 12a: PPL view at x10 of sample HLB.21 showing general texture (width of field c. 6mm)
Figure 12b: XP view at x10 of sample HLB.21 showing general texture (width of field c. 6mm)
Figure 12c: PPL view at x40 of sample HLB.21 showing general texture (width of field c. 1.5mm)
Figure 12d: XP view at x40 of sample HLB.21 showing general texture (width of field c. 1.5mm)
Figure 12e: PPL view at x100 of sample HLB.21 showing 'sheared' quartz (width of field c. 0.6mm)
Figure 12f: XP view at x100 of sample HLB.21 showing 'sheared' quartz (width of field c. 0.6mm)
Figure 12g: PPL view at x100 of sample HLB.21 showing 'slightly cloudy' quartz (width of field c. 0.6mm)