The matrix is slightly ferruginous clay containing about 7-12 percent of silty angular quartz, lesser quantity of pure ferruginous shale and rare and rather tiny laths of light mica (muscovite) - not in all samples. The non-plastics may compose 3-10% of the sherd’s volume and are 0.1-0.3 mm angular to sub-rounded grains of mature quartz (some with coating of iron oxides), same size elongated angular to elliptic fragments of pure ferruginous shale, and rare round grains of quartz-ferruginous siltstone. In some of the examined samples single silt size olivine.
The stratigraphic sequence of the southern foothills of Mount Hermon is characterized by the sedimentary rocks underlying the Quaternary basalts. The slope is built by chalky limestone of the Mas’ada formation at the very village, to the north of it, at less than 200 m distance, one can find sandstones, chalks and marls of Hidra formation, and further to the North and the North West there are limestones of Ein El Assad formations underplayed by clays, marls and sand- and silt-stones of Nabi Said formations, all mentioned are of the Lower Cretaceous age (Sneh and Weinberger 2014, map; and personal observation done by author during the archaeological survey near Khirbat el-Hawarit (Tepper, S-509/2014)).