Geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia

Obsidian raw material has been widely used in central and southern Patagonia from the beginning of the occupation of this region. In NW Santa Cruz province, Argentina, the geochemical analyses published to date suggest that Pampa del Asador was the main obsidian source. However, both the spatial and...

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Autores principales: Fernández, M.V., Stern, C.R., Leal, P.R.
Formato: JOUR
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Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_10406182_v375_n_p44_Fernandez
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spelling todo:paper_10406182_v375_n_p44_Fernandez2023-10-03T15:57:59Z Geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia Fernández, M.V. Stern, C.R. Leal, P.R. Argentina Geochemical analysis NW Santa Cruz Obsidian Patagonia archaeology artifact basin chemical analysis geochemistry obsidian occupation paleoenvironment spatiotemporal analysis Argentina Buenos Aires [Argentina] Patagonia Santa Cruz [Argentina] Obsidian raw material has been widely used in central and southern Patagonia from the beginning of the occupation of this region. In NW Santa Cruz province, Argentina, the geochemical analyses published to date suggest that Pampa del Asador was the main obsidian source. However, both the spatial and temporal limits of the distribution of obsidians from this and other sources in the region remain undefined. The principal goal of this article is to characterize obsidian artifacts from archaeological sites, located in a portion of NW Santa Cruz, from which there is no available geochemical information. ICP-MS analyses were obtained for 49 obsidian artifacts recovered from 24 excavated rockshelters and open-air surface scatters. The results indicate that all the samples of black obsidian came from the Pampa del Asador source, located ~90-160km to the south. Two samples of grey obsidian discovered on the top of Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires are chemically different from any other archeological obsidian yet analyzed in southern Patagonia. Their origin is still unknown, but they are most likely derived from a local Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires obsidian source. These results contribute to the knowledge about the use of obsidian in NW Santa Cruz, and provide constraints on the communication and material exchange between different environments and basins in this region. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA. Fil:Leal, P.R. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina. JOUR info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_10406182_v375_n_p44_Fernandez
institution Universidad de Buenos Aires
institution_str I-28
repository_str R-134
collection Biblioteca Digital - Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (UBA)
topic Argentina
Geochemical analysis
NW Santa Cruz
Obsidian
Patagonia
archaeology
artifact
basin
chemical analysis
geochemistry
obsidian
occupation
paleoenvironment
spatiotemporal analysis
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Patagonia
Santa Cruz [Argentina]
spellingShingle Argentina
Geochemical analysis
NW Santa Cruz
Obsidian
Patagonia
archaeology
artifact
basin
chemical analysis
geochemistry
obsidian
occupation
paleoenvironment
spatiotemporal analysis
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Patagonia
Santa Cruz [Argentina]
Fernández, M.V.
Stern, C.R.
Leal, P.R.
Geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia
topic_facet Argentina
Geochemical analysis
NW Santa Cruz
Obsidian
Patagonia
archaeology
artifact
basin
chemical analysis
geochemistry
obsidian
occupation
paleoenvironment
spatiotemporal analysis
Argentina
Buenos Aires [Argentina]
Patagonia
Santa Cruz [Argentina]
description Obsidian raw material has been widely used in central and southern Patagonia from the beginning of the occupation of this region. In NW Santa Cruz province, Argentina, the geochemical analyses published to date suggest that Pampa del Asador was the main obsidian source. However, both the spatial and temporal limits of the distribution of obsidians from this and other sources in the region remain undefined. The principal goal of this article is to characterize obsidian artifacts from archaeological sites, located in a portion of NW Santa Cruz, from which there is no available geochemical information. ICP-MS analyses were obtained for 49 obsidian artifacts recovered from 24 excavated rockshelters and open-air surface scatters. The results indicate that all the samples of black obsidian came from the Pampa del Asador source, located ~90-160km to the south. Two samples of grey obsidian discovered on the top of Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires are chemically different from any other archeological obsidian yet analyzed in southern Patagonia. Their origin is still unknown, but they are most likely derived from a local Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires obsidian source. These results contribute to the knowledge about the use of obsidian in NW Santa Cruz, and provide constraints on the communication and material exchange between different environments and basins in this region. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.
format JOUR
author Fernández, M.V.
Stern, C.R.
Leal, P.R.
author_facet Fernández, M.V.
Stern, C.R.
Leal, P.R.
author_sort Fernández, M.V.
title Geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia
title_short Geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia
title_full Geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia
title_fullStr Geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia
title_full_unstemmed Geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern Santa Cruz Province, Argentine Patagonia
title_sort geochemical analysis of obsidian from archaeological sites in northwestern santa cruz province, argentine patagonia
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_10406182_v375_n_p44_Fernandez
work_keys_str_mv AT fernandezmv geochemicalanalysisofobsidianfromarchaeologicalsitesinnorthwesternsantacruzprovinceargentinepatagonia
AT sterncr geochemicalanalysisofobsidianfromarchaeologicalsitesinnorthwesternsantacruzprovinceargentinepatagonia
AT lealpr geochemicalanalysisofobsidianfromarchaeologicalsitesinnorthwesternsantacruzprovinceargentinepatagonia
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