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Porcellanite in Alberta : a pyrometamorphic pre-contact toolstone

Description

Porcellanite is a pyrometamorphic rock that forms when naturally ignited coal seams fuse fine-grained sedimentary rocks. This can produce a uniform material suitable for making stone tools. This... More ≫

Description

Porcellanite is a pyrometamorphic rock that forms when naturally ignited coal seams fuse fine-grained sedimentary rocks. This can produce a uniform material suitable for making stone tools. This paper presents photographs and geochemical analyses of Montana and North Dakota porcellanites in comparison to high quality pyrometamorphic rocks, and Alberta materials of similar origin or appearance. Results of portable X-ray fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, and thin section analyses are combined with micro/macroscopic traits to aid identification.

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Glacier Pass Concretions : a pre-contact toolstone from an alpine quarry complex in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains

Description

This article summarizes geochemical and mineralogical analyses of the material called Glacier Pass Concretions including portable X-ray fluorescence, thin sections, and hyperspectral imaging.... More ≫

Description

This article summarizes geochemical and mineralogical analyses of the material called Glacier Pass Concretions including portable X-ray fluorescence, thin sections, and hyperspectral imaging. Results indicate that pre-contact toolmakers were aware of internal inconsistencies in concretions and targeted specific high silica bands that produced a better quality, predictable substrate for tools. The article presents photographic libraries to aid identification and summarize an archaeometry-based reconstruction of pre-contact cognitive approaches to a raw material seasonally exploited in an alpine area for several thousand years.

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Identifying Knife River Flint in Alberta : a silicified lignite toolstone from North Dakota

Description

This article is the fourth in a series intended to assist the identification of raw materials used for precontact stone tools in Alberta. Each article focuses on one raw material; the current... More ≫

Description

This article is the fourth in a series intended to assist the identification of raw materials used for precontact stone tools in Alberta. Each article focuses on one raw material; the current article discusses a silicified lignite called Knife River Flint (KRF) that originates in North Dakota and appears in archaeological sites across Alberta. Local materials, including chalcedony, silicified peat/petrified wood, and translucent chert, can be mistaken for KRF: macroscopic and microscope qualities of these materials are described with an accompanying photograph library to assist identification. Several methods were tested to assess their feasibility for distinguishing KRF from local materials. KRF so closely resembles other materials in terms of macroscopics, microscopics, and geochemistry that conclusively demonstrating provenance remains problematic.

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Tertiary Hills Clinker in Alberta : a partially fused vesicular toolstone from the Mackenzie Basin of Northwest Territories, Canada

Description

This article is the first in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each... More ≫

Description

This article is the first in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each article will focus on one raw material; the current article discusses a partially fused, glassy, vesicular rock that originates in Northwest Territories called Tertiary Hills Clinker (THC). THC appears in archaeological sites in northern and central Alberta. A suite of techniques indicates that it can be geochemically sourced much like obsidian. The accurate identification of THC can reveal significant relationships between occupants of Alberta and the Mackenzie Basin to the north.

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Pre-contact jade in Alberta : the geochemistry, mineralogy, and archaeological significance of nephrite ground stone tools

Description

This article is the second in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each... More ≫

Description

This article is the second in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each article focuses on one raw material; the current article discusses a microcrystalline, actinolite-tremolite (amphibole)-rich rock called nephrite (jade) that originates in British Columbia, Washington, Yukon, and Alaska. Nephrite appears in archaeological sites in northern and central Alberta. This articles presents results from a variety of non-destructive techniques to determine the geochemistry and mineralogy of nephrite ground stone celts found in Alberta. The accurate identification of nephrite can reveal significant cultural relationships that involved long distance exchange of raw materials between occupants of Alberta and British Columbia.

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Beaver River sandstone : a silicified toolstone from northeast Alberta, Canada

Description

This article is the third in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each... More ≫

Description

This article is the third in the Alberta Lithic Reference Project series, the goal of which is to assist the identification of raw materials used for pre-contact stone tools in the province. Each article focuses on one raw material; the current article discusses a silicified orthoquartzite sedimentary rock that originates in northeast Alberta called Beaver River Sandstone (BRS). BRS appears in archaeological sites in northern and central Alberta. This paper offers a description of BRS and comparable Montana materials, a photographic library for comparative purposes, a brief summary of BRS utilization in northeast Alberta, and data to facilitate the accurate identification of BRS in archaeological assemblages.

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