Underwater archaeology team finds ancient obsidian flakes 2,000 miles from quarry — ScienceDaily

Cortez Deacetis

An underwater archaeologist from The University of Texas at Arlington is aspect of a exploration staff learning 9,000-12 months-previous stone tool artifacts uncovered in Lake Huron that originated from an obsidian quarry a lot more than 2,000 miles absent in central Oregon.

The obsidian flakes from the underwater archaeological web page signify the oldest and farthest east confirmed specimens of western obsidian at any time identified in the continental United States.

“In this case, these tiny obsidian artifacts reveal social connections throughout North The united states 9,000 several years ago,” stated Ashley Lemke, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at UT Arlington. “The artifacts found beneath the Fantastic Lakes arrive from a geological source in Oregon, 4,000 kilometers absent — creating it one particular of the longest distances recorded for obsidian artifacts everywhere in the globe.”

The exclusive research was a multi-faceted pursuit with divers in the drinking water and scientists in the laboratory from UTA, the University of Michigan, Lake Remarkable Nationwide Maritime Conservation Spot, the University of Missouri Investigate Reactor Center, the Northwest Research Obsidian Experiments Laboratory and the University of Georgia. Their put together perform, “Central Oregon obsidian from a submerged early Holocene archaeological internet site beneath Lake Huron,” was released final month in the journal PLOS One particular.

For the reason that the web site was underwater and undisturbed, scientists systematically and scientifically recovered the obsidian, a kind of volcanic glass that was applied and traded commonly in the course of significantly of human history as a prized substance for generating sharp equipment.

“These are very tiny pieces that have quite massive stories to inform,” Lemke stated. “Obsidian from the significantly western United States is rarely discovered in the east.”

Lemke is a chief and innovator in the discipline, serving as the chair of the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology, an global group focused to underwater archaeology and the preservation of underwater cultural resources. She is an pro on submerged historical websites in the Americas and has researched other locations these kinds of as the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean.

The obtain in Lake Huron is part of a broader review to comprehend the social and economic corporation of caribou hunters at the conclude of the last ice age. H2o concentrations were much lessen then scientists have identified, for instance, historic web pages like stone partitions and searching blinds that are now 100 toes underwater.

“This particular obtain is actually enjoyable for the reason that it demonstrates how significant underwater archaeology is,” Lemke mentioned. “The preservation of ancient underwater sites is unparalleled on land, and these sites have given us a terrific chance to discover a lot more about previous peoples.”

Tale Resource:

Resources offered by University of Texas at Arlington. Primary written by Devynn Circumstance. Note: Material may possibly be edited for type and length.

Next Post

Bruisable artificial skin could help prosthetics, robots sense injuries -- ScienceDaily

When another person bumps their elbow against a wall, they not only come to feel discomfort but also might knowledge bruising. Robots and prosthetic limbs never have these warning indicators, which could direct to further more injuries. Now, scientists reporting in ACS Used Products & Interfaces have produced an synthetic […]