Factors Influencing Obsidian Procurement and Use in the Snake River Plain, Idaho, and its Environs

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Many tool-quality obsidian sources can be found across the Snake River Plain (SRP) in southern Idaho and adjacent geologic areas. This material was widely used in prehistory, with some artifacts discovered as far away as the Ohio River Valley. In order to better understand the selection and use of regional obsidian sources, we undertook experiments to evaluate the material properties and to compare the performance differences based on standardized instrumental testing. Specifically, we use surface profilometry and impact hardness testing to estimate the structural and mechanical properties of SRP and other regional obsidians and compare this performance data to the known distribution of provenanced artifacts. We additionally “fill in” this provenance dataset with our own geochemical analysis of lithic artifacts and sub-source variation, using pXRF and LA-ICP-MS of obsidian sources in northern Nevada, western Wyoming, and eastern Oregon. We predict that material that possesses greater textural homogeneity, impact resistance, and reduced surface roughness will be preferentially selected for use. These represent more predictable materials, and their frequency of use should increase through time, as obsidian sources are discovered and exploited. Our results have implications for regional lithic procurement, as well as noteworthy long-distance transport of some eastern SRP/Yellowstone-Teton obsidian sources.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2024: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 41699.0