TIMBER BUTTE OBSIDIAN SOURCE SURVEY: GEOLOGY, PREHISTORY, CHEMICAL SOURCING, AND DEBITAGE ANALYSIS A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts With a Major in Anthropology In the College of Graduate Studies University of Idaho By Tyrone Lane Corn August 2006 Major Professor: Robert Lee Sappington. Ph.D. ii AUTHORIZATION TO SUBMIT THESIS This thesis of Tyrone L. Corn, submitted for the degree of Master of Arts with a major in Anthropology and titled “Timber Butte Obsidian Source Survey: Geology, Prehistory, Chemical Sourcing and Debitage Analysis,” has been reviewed in final form. Permission, as indicated by signatures and dates given below, is now granted to submit final copies to the College of Graduate Studies for approval. Major Professor ________________________________Date________________ Robert Lee Sappington Committee Members ________________________________Date________________ Laura Putsche ________________________________Date________________ William C. Rember Department Administrator ________________________________Date________________ Donald L. Tyler Discipline’s College Dean ________________________________Date________________ Katherine G. Aiken Final Approval and Acceptance by the College of Graduate Studies _________________________________Date________________ Margrit von Braun iii ABSTRACT Through sourcing studies conducted over the last thirty years, the Timber Butte obsidian source has been demonstrated as the predominant obsidian source for southwest and west central Idaho. As the source is located on private property, physical and topographic details about the source, including a definitive characterization based on primary deposits, were lacking. Through the gracious permission of the landowner, the source areas were completely described, mapped, and chemically characterized. Additionally, a preliminary analysis of surface debitage and artifacts found in primary reduction areas has shed some light on the types of artifacts produced in the recent past. This thesis represents a preliminary step toward a better understanding of the Timber Butte source that will ideally help define future research of the subject and area. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank the members of my committee, Dr. Robert Lee Sappington (Chair), Dr. Laura Putsche, and Dr. William Rember. In particular, it was Dr. Sappington’s pioneering work on obsidian sourcing in Idaho and specifically the Timber Butte source that first introduced me to the subject. However, without the assistance and patience of all committee members, the long-overdue completion of this thesis would not have been possible. I would also like to thank a number of people that aided and encouraged the effort over the years including William G. Reed, Susie Osgood, Dr. Robert Yohe, Dr. Ken Reid, Craig Skinner, Dr. Richard Hughes, Dr. Anna Prentiss, Nick Peterson, Dr. Matt Root, Dr. Jim Rudolph, and Mary Ann Davis. Additionally, I’d like to thank Dr. Donald Tyler for setting the hook of my career path with his Introduction to Anthropology class. Special thanks go to Lorraine Gross who read and edited draft materials and was willing to tolerate my being a less-than-ideal employee while finishing the process. Of course, none of this would have been possible without access to the source areas graciously granted by the landowner, thanks. A different level of thanks is owed to members of my family. Throughout my childhood, my dad dragged me through the hills in a seemingly endless search for historic sites of all types, and was able to explain what the machines did before abandonment and decay. This was the beginning of my interest in archaeology, and for this I can’t begin to thank him enough. The other half of my genetic makeup, my mother, has always impressed upon me that being happy is far more important than money or status, which is critical to working in archaeology. By far, the most profound thanks go to my wife of two years, Jane, whose super-human patience is the largest contributing factor in the completion of this thesis. Thank you and I promise I’ll work on the house more. v TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHORIZATION TO SUBMIT.................................................................................................................II ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................................III ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................................ IV TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................................V FIGURES...................................................................................................................................................... VII TABLES.......................................................................................................................................................VIII CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2 – LOCATION, GEOLOGY, TOPOGRAPHY, AND ............................................................3 ENVIRONMENT.............................................................................................................................................3 LOCATION ......................................................................................................................................................3 GEOLOGY .......................................................................................................................................................4 IDAHO BATHOLITH .........................................................................................................................................4 COLUMBIA RIVER BASALT GROUPS ...............................................................................................................5 ADJACENT SEDIMENTARY FORMATIONS ........................................................................................................6 TIMBER BUTTE RHYOLITE ..............................................................................................................................7 OBSIDIAN AND THE TIMBER BUTTE SOURCE ..................................................................................................9 TOPOGRAPHY ...............................................................................................................................................14 ENVIRONMENT – CLIMATE, FLORA, AND FAUNA..........................................................................................14 CHAPTER 3 - PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS........................................................................................18 PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS..........................................................................................................................18 Sargeant 1973..........................................................................................................................................19 Sappington 1981c....................................................................................................................................20 Ames 1982...............................................................................................................................................21 Artz 1983.................................................................................................................................................22 Arnold 1984.............................................................................................................................................23 Plew et al. 1984 .......................................................................................................................................24 Plew and Fuhrman 1985..........................................................................................................................24 Gaston and Peterson 1988 .......................................................................................................................25 Lewarch and Benson 1989 ......................................................................................................................25 Reed 1990................................................................................................................................................26 Gallison and Reid 1992 ...........................................................................................................................27 Gallison and Reid 1993 ...........................................................................................................................27 Reid and Gallison 1994 ...........................................................................................................................28 Kleinfelder 2006......................................................................................................................................28 SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS IN THE PAYETTE DRAINAGE .......................................................29 CHAPTER 4 – CULTURE AREAS, AREA CHRONOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY.............................31 CULTURE AREAS ..........................................................................................................................................31