Scratching the Surface: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the South Mountain Metarhyolite Quarries

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Case Studies in Toolstone Provenance: Reliable Ascription from the Ground Up" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The prehistoric quarries of South Mountain, the primary source for metarhyolite in Pennsylvania, are well-known for their importance as a lithic resource—especially in association to the Susquehanna Broadspear industry. While they are widely known, the quarries have not been studied intensively. This presentation will focus on the use of x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis used to gain a better understanding of the lithic material and the potential to trace artifacts to their origins through geochemical analysis. The findings have helped to establish future research potential and management priorities and recommendations for metarhyolite quarry sites located on Commonwealth lands.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Case Studies in Toolstone Provenance: Reliable Ascription from the Ground Up

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33533