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Archaeometry at OSU’s Radiation Center |
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Factors affecting obsidian composition: |
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Cultural factors: • None. |
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Natural factors: • Mineralogy of magma (rock minerals melted under extreme heat and pressure to form molten lava). • Temperature & pressure affect mineral formation during molten and cooling phases; fractional crystallization. • Weathering of cooled rock (surface hydration). |
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Post-depositional factors: • Weathering (hydration) of exposed surfaces. |
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Result:
● Obsidian flows are spatially limited, discrete sources on the landscape.
● Individual flows are highly homogenous, with order-of-magnitude differences between flows.
●The provenance principle is readily applied, and obsidian artifacts can be easily linked to a known source. |
