An Investigation into the Potential for Geochemical / Geoarchaeological Provenance of Prairie du Chien Cherts
2000-05
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An Investigation into the Potential for Geochemical / Geoarchaeological Provenance of Prairie du Chien Cherts
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2000-05
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The use of trace-element geochemical analyses to trace archaeological materials to their geologic sources (provenance) has grown immensely diverse in the past few decades. In the upper Midwest, much attention has been focused on distinguishing between various types of chert with annoyingly variable and overlapping visual characteristics (e.g., Luedtke 1976; Hoard et al. 1993; Spielbauer 1984). Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) has been a very effective analytical method for provenance studies of cherts. However, comparatively little effort has been made to geochemically distinguish between chert sources within a single geologic formation. Some preliminary studies conducted by Luedtke (1978) and Luedtke and Meyers (1984), however, showed that this should be a viable avenue of investigation. This paper discusses an investigation into the potential for geochemically distinguishing among separate chert sources within the Prairie du Chien dolomite. To accomplish this, multivariate statistical techniques such as Principle Component Analysis and Discriminant Analysis were applied to a geochemical data set derived by Neutron Activation Analysis of samples collected from 20 locations throughout southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin. The results of the statistical analyses are effective at distinguishing among widely separated sources, but there is a great deal of overlap among geographically adjacent sources. A broader overall geochemical pattern is distinguishable in regional trends of element concentrations; but once again the data show a great amount of overlap, making precise provenance determination difficult.
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A Thesis submitted to the faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Minnesota by Brian Neil Klawiter in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, May 2000.
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