This volcanic pitted hammerstone is from North Queensland.  The tool was originally an edge-ground stone axe and was subsequently recycled.

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This unusual tool was originally an edge-ground axe.  The faces of the tool are smoothed and the taper towards the ground edge can be seen when viewed side-on.  The centre of each face was used as an anvil, with a well-defined pit forming on one face and more distributed use-wear visible on the opposite face.  The thick edge of the tool was used as a hammer to smash small, hard objects.  This created substantial attrition in seven locations, effectively notching the edge and creating a distinctive scalloped outline.  The edges between several of the pits were used for light hammering, apparently for a different purpose, as the wear-facets are relatively flat rather than pitted or notched.  A pair of facets are angled acutely relative to each other, creating a distinctive boundary between them.  The other flat facets mostly lack an adjacent facet.  The purpose of this tool is not known, but the complex arrangements of usewear suggests it was used for several hammering functions and enjoyed a long use-life.

See the annotations for technological details about this stone tool.