The stone tool is a key symbol of productivity and production mode in the Stone Age. Ancient Hanxia nephrite mining site in Dunhuang was archeologically recognized as the oldest jade mining site discovered in China

its mining tools

i.e. stone hammers

and their rock materials including the petrological and geochemical characteristics may provide important information for revealing their material sources and the productivity at that time. In this paper

nine typical stone hammers were selected for petrological and geochemical analysis using polarizing microscope

XRF

and ICP-MS. The results showed that the stone hammers were made of diabase

basalt

dacite

granodiorite porphyrite and diorite porphyrite rocks. These rocks were characterized by the petrogeochemistry of igneous rocks formed within intraplate or volcanic arc environment

and are consistent with local igneous rocks within tens of kilometers of the site in Dunhuang area. Further comparison of the stone hammers and relative local igneous rocks in macroscopic features

microtexture

main and trace elements

and tectonic environment can infer that

except for some pebble hammers

the stone hammers were probably processed from local igneous rocks

especially those hard & dense-textured volcanic or subvolcanic rocks at Sanwei mountain nephrite mine or neighborly close-by

maybe 100 km around. Based on the scattered position of the stone hammers in the mining site and by contrasting with those stone hammers from other sites

we think the stone hammers were used as separation tools at Hanxia nephrite mining site

but more detailed research needs to do to find out their significance and value in understanding mining personnel from the stone hammer-reflected human behaviour and technical gestures in shape & structure in social system.