COMPOSITION VARIATIONS IN OBSIDIAN SOURCES AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS*

Abstract

ABSTRACTS An obsidian source can exhibit considerable variations in chemical composition. One such flow at Borax Lake in Lake County, California has been carefully investigated by neutron activation analysis of specimens from a number of different loci. It was found that the variable elements were completely coherent, and thus judgements concerning provenience could be just as definitive as with extremely homogeneous materials.