Pyrometamorphism of 19th‐century kiln artifacts from Caledonia Springs,Ontario, Canada

Marked, 19th‐century kiln bricks and rocks from Caledonia Springs (CS) have black glass coatings that can easily be mistaken for glass produced at the elusive CS glassworks (c. 1844–1846). The glass‐on‐brick material, however, is more aluminous (nearly 20% Al₂O₃) than virtually any analyzed historical glass, and the glass‐on‐rock is compositionally similar to the rock itself, which shows clear signs of having undergone extensive melting. Mineral thermometry (Cpx‐Ol, Pl‐melt) indicates that parts of the kiln‐achieved temperatures of approximately 1200–1300°C. The CS samples show that caution must be exercised when identifying seemingly obvious waste glass near defunct glassworks sites. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.