Nature & Science

A chunk of Alibates Flint as you might find it out on the monument.

NPS Photo

It's all about the rocks.

Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument has been famous for more than 13,000 years for one specific natural resource: flint. But how did this rock get here? What are its primary characteristics? Read more about how the Alibates Flint was formed on our Geology page.

Local tribes dug the flint, but they needed other items found in this ecosystem for basic survival as well. Plants of all shapes and sizes were harvested and used for food, medicine and tools. Ethnobotany is the study of how people use plants. Mesquite trees, soapberry bushes, sages and cacti all had their uses. Read more about key native plants and their uses on our Ethnobotany page.