Cougar Creek Obsidian: Quarry Activity and Secondary Processing of a Minor Yellowstone Obsidian

Summary

The University of Montana conducted an archaeological survey of the Cougar Creek valley, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, in 2017. We mapped Cougar Creek obsidian outcrops, procurement areas, and secondary processing sites. XRF analysis of natural and cultural samples of the snowflake obsidian show a distinct chemical composition, even though its creation event is coeval with the famous Obsidian Cliff ca. 180,000 years ago (ca. 30 miles northeast). Due to its highly variable quality, Native American hunter-gatherers conducted extensive cobble testing prior to removal from the quarry area. They also mined pits and trenches to obtain the best quality material. A review of Yellowstone XRF-studies show use of Cougar Creek obsidian since the Paleoindian Period. There is a significant distance-decay reduction in its use, with local sites showing intense exploitation. In contrast, the material represents only ca. 1% of all XRF-sourced obsidian artifacts in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Thus, its significance lies in its use as a local source of stone, with little evidence of regional or national distribution such as occurs with the nearby Obsidian Cliff obsidian.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20108