Combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on Southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada
Abstract A combined methodological approach using visual and geochemical methods is introduced and preliminary results of a study illustrating its effectiveness to determine chert source provenance are presented. This study focuses on lithic debitage and raw chert samples collected from the interior...
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crwiley:10.1002/gea.20273 2024-09-09T19:23:37+00:00 Combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on Southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada Milne, S. Brooke Hamilton, Anne Fayek, Mostafa 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/gea.20273 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fgea.20273 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/gea.20273 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Geoarchaeology volume 24, issue 4, page 429-449 ISSN 0883-6353 1520-6548 journal-article 2009 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.20273 2024-08-01T04:20:06Z Abstract A combined methodological approach using visual and geochemical methods is introduced and preliminary results of a study illustrating its effectiveness to determine chert source provenance are presented. This study focuses on lithic debitage and raw chert samples collected from the interior of southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada. Chert is abundant throughout this region yet it occurs as small, scattered surface nodules that are highly variable in color. Prior to this study, little was known about the provenance of this local toolstone and whether it derived from local outcrops, glacial till sheets, or both. Given the pronounced variability exhibited by this chert, we use individual attribute analysis and petrography to impose some kind of analytical order upon an otherwise random aggregation of rocks. Thereafter, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and secondary ion mass spectrometry are used to test the validity of these color categories to determine from how many geochemically distinct sources they derive. Using a standard that measures Al to a ratio of Ga/Zr, our results indicate that all of the raw chert samples derive from a single local source, while the debitage derives from four different sources, including the one that is local. We are confident that this combined methodological approach can be applied in other regions where chert variability is pronounced and source provenance is unknown. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Baffin Island Baffin Wiley Online Library Arctic Baffin Island Canada Geoarchaeology 24 4 429 449 |
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English |
description |
Abstract A combined methodological approach using visual and geochemical methods is introduced and preliminary results of a study illustrating its effectiveness to determine chert source provenance are presented. This study focuses on lithic debitage and raw chert samples collected from the interior of southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada. Chert is abundant throughout this region yet it occurs as small, scattered surface nodules that are highly variable in color. Prior to this study, little was known about the provenance of this local toolstone and whether it derived from local outcrops, glacial till sheets, or both. Given the pronounced variability exhibited by this chert, we use individual attribute analysis and petrography to impose some kind of analytical order upon an otherwise random aggregation of rocks. Thereafter, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and secondary ion mass spectrometry are used to test the validity of these color categories to determine from how many geochemically distinct sources they derive. Using a standard that measures Al to a ratio of Ga/Zr, our results indicate that all of the raw chert samples derive from a single local source, while the debitage derives from four different sources, including the one that is local. We are confident that this combined methodological approach can be applied in other regions where chert variability is pronounced and source provenance is unknown. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Milne, S. Brooke Hamilton, Anne Fayek, Mostafa |
spellingShingle |
Milne, S. Brooke Hamilton, Anne Fayek, Mostafa Combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on Southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada |
author_facet |
Milne, S. Brooke Hamilton, Anne Fayek, Mostafa |
author_sort |
Milne, S. Brooke |
title |
Combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on Southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada |
title_short |
Combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on Southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada |
title_full |
Combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on Southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada |
title_fullStr |
Combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on Southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on Southern Baffin Island, Arctic Canada |
title_sort |
combining visual and geochemical analyses to source chert on southern baffin island, arctic canada |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/gea.20273 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fgea.20273 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/gea.20273 |
geographic |
Arctic Baffin Island Canada |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Baffin Island Canada |
genre |
Arctic Baffin Island Baffin |
genre_facet |
Arctic Baffin Island Baffin |
op_source |
Geoarchaeology volume 24, issue 4, page 429-449 ISSN 0883-6353 1520-6548 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.20273 |
container_title |
Geoarchaeology |
container_volume |
24 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
429 |
op_container_end_page |
449 |
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1809893604772020224 |