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Rocky Mountain - 55th Annual Meeting (May 7-9, 2003)

Paper No. 5
Presentation Time: 9:55 AM

PRELIMINARY SOURCING FOR OBSIDIAN DEBITAGE ASSOCIATED WITH EVIDENCE FOR METALLURGICAL ACTIVITY IN MANAGUA, NICARAGUA


SIMMONS, E. Craig, Department of Chemistry & Geochemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, AGGEN, Kerry L., EBERHART, Mark E. and FRAIKOR, Fred F., csimmons@mines.edu

A suite of ~100 obsidian debitage fragments from the archaeological site of Ciudad Sandino, Managua, Nicaragua, previously linked to copper metallurgy (Aggen et al., 2000, GSA Abstr. With Progr., v.32, no.7, p.A424), were analyzed by ICP-MS for a suite of 26 major and trace elements in an effort to set limits upon their provenance.

Preliminary analysis of this data is consistent with a local origin for virtually all of these obsidian fragments. This, combined with the fact that the splattered copper “droplets” occur on both fresh and weathered surfaces on the obsidian, suggest that both the obsidian and the copper metallurgical activity were local in origin.

Session No. 14

S3. Relationships of Physical Systems to Archaeological Records and Prehistoric Cultures in the Four Corners Area
Friday, 9 May 2003: 8:30 AM-11:15 AM
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 35, No. 5, April 2003, p.40
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