Geochemical characterization of volcanic glass from Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a, Hawai‘i Island
| dc.contributor.author | McCoy, Mark D. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2021-11-12T22:26:28Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2011-10-01 | |
| dc.description.abstract | New fieldwork and laboratory research are reported here to help better define a major source of volcanic glass in the Hawaiian Islands: Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a volcanic cone. This research centers on two questions: (1) What is the size of raw material available at the source and how does this parent material compare with debitage in archaeological collections? And, (2) Can chemical variably in Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a volcanic glass allow us to sub-classify artifacts? As one would expect, average size and weights are predictably smaller when comparing raw material to primary reduction, and smaller again when comparing primary reduction to core reduction. XRF chemical characterisation shows that while all volcanic glass derived from Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a is chemically similar, it is possible to sub-classify artifacts by copper (Cu) content. The vast majority of artifacts made from Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a volcanic glass are from Cu-poor eruptions. There are, however, rare examples of Cu-rich artifacts. The frequency of Cu-rich artifacts increases with distance from source. One explanation for this enigmatic pattern is that it is the by-product of a process similar to serial founder effect. Cu-rich flaking cores could have increased in relative proportion as the total amount of Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a glass in assemblages became smaller at sites further distant from the source. Alternatively, this pattern may simply reflect the general pattern of increased fragmentation of Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a cores as they are passed further down the line. Interestingly, in the South Point region we do not find any examples of Cu-rich material, again suggesting a pattern of access and exchange similar to the closest sites to the source. | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 1040-1385(Print) | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2576-5469(ISSN) | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10524/64947 | |
| dc.subject | Easter Island | |
| dc.subject | Rapa Nui | |
| dc.title | Geochemical characterization of volcanic glass from Pu‘u Wa‘awa‘a, Hawai‘i Island | |
| dc.type | Article | |
| dc.type.dcmi | Text | |
| prism.number | 2 | |
| prism.volume | 25 |
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