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Abstract Luminescence Dating of Ceramics From ABSTRACT LUMINESCENCE DATING OF CERAMICS FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN THE SODA LAKE REGION OF THE MOJAVE DESERT By Andrea C. Bardsley August 2009 Ceramic studies in the Mojave Desert of California have long been plagued with vague and imprecise chronological data and have relied heavily on relative dating methods in discussing the antiquity of ceramics from this region. Luminescence dating offers an excellent means of generating a ceramic chronology directly from the ceramic samples found in the archaeological record. Soda Lake has a long and well established history of human occupation and is an excellent location to study the earliest forms of pottery in the Mojave Desert. This study successfully uses Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating techniques to date the manufacture event of each ceramic sherd and generate an approximate age for the occupation of sites along the Soda Lake playa. LUMINESCENCE DATING OF CERAMICS FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN THE SODA LAKE REGION OF THE MOJAVE DESERT A THESIS Presented to the Department of Anthropology California State University, Long Beach In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts in Anthropology Committee Members: Carl P. Lipo, Ph.D. (Chair) Hector Neff, Ph.D. Daniel O. Larson, Ph.D. College Designee: Mark Wiley, Ph.D. By Andrea C. Bardsley B.A., 2006, University of California, Santa Barbara August 2009 WE, THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, HAVE APPROVED THIS THESIS LUMINESCENCE DATING OF CERAMICS FROM ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES IN THE SODA LAKE REGION OF THE MOJAVE DESERT By Andrea Bardsley COMMITTEE MEMBERS _____________________________________________________________________ Carl P. Lipo, Ph.D. (Chair) Anthropology _____________________________________________________________________ Hector Neff, Ph.D. Anthropology _____________________________________________________________________ Daniel Larson, Ph.D. Anthropology ACCEPTED AND APPROVED ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY _____________________________________________________________________ Mark Wiley, Ph.D. Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts California State University, Long Beach ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS One of the true pleasures in completing a task such as this is the opportunity to thank the many people involved. I would first like to thank all of my committee members, especially Dr. Lipo who initiated the fieldwork and supported my work consistently throughout the project. Dr. Neff offered his expertise frequently and freely, and was always available to aid in the study’s technical aspects. I also owe much to Ms. Sachiko Sakai. Without her assistance the laboratory portion of this work would not have been possible, and her tolerance of my endless questions was much appreciated. Thanks should go to the Mojave National Preserve for permitting this study to take place within their borders. David Nichols was especially helpful in all aspects of the fieldwork, and I am most grateful for the enthusiasm, knowledge, and wisdom he shared. The Judith Presch Scholarship Fund at CSU Fullerton aided in funding this project, as did the CSU Long Beach Provost Research Stipend Program. I would also like to thank everyone who trudged out into the desert to help me collect samples, especially Maureen Lynch, Tony Quach, and Jessica Jaynes. Finally, thank you to my family for inspiring and indulging my love of archaeology and to Michael for your constant love and support through this ordeal. Without each contribution, the following study would not have been possible. Thank you all, again and again. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................... vii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 1 2. MOJAVE DESERT BACKGROUND ............................................................. 6 Archaeology in the Soda Lake Region ....................................................... 8 Ceramic Studies.......................................................................................... 12 3. METHODS........................................................................................................ 17 Principles of Luminescence Dating............................................................ 18 Optically Stimulated Luminescence........................................................... 21 4. DATA REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................ 29 Laboratory Methods ................................................................................... 29 Field Methods ............................................................................................. 31 Site CA-SBR-5417 ............................................................................... 32 Site CA-SBR-3571 ............................................................................... 32 Site CA-SBR-3570 ............................................................................... 33 Site CA-SBR-5421 ............................................................................... 34 Site CA-SBR-1997 ............................................................................... 355 5. ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ........................................................................... 37 Dosimetry and Radiation Calibrations ....................................................... 38 Laser Ablated Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry ............... 39 X-Ray Fluorescence ................................................................................... 41 iv CHAPTER Page Site Analysis and Relevance ...................................................................... 42 Site CA-SBR-3571 ............................................................................... 44 Site CA-SBR-3570 ............................................................................... 45 Isolate Sherds on West Shore of Soda Lake ........................................ 45 Site CA-SBR-5421 ............................................................................... 46 Site CA-SBR-5417 ............................................................................... 47 Site CA-SBR-1997 ............................................................................... 47 Precision and Accuracy .............................................................................. 48 Summary .................................................................................................... 51 6. FUTURE RESEARCH ..................................................................................... 63 Changing Ceramic Attributes ..................................................................... 63 Ceramic Sourcing ....................................................................................... 67 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 69 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................. 76 A. ALIQUOT AND SAMPLE AVERAGE DATES ............................................ 77 B. LABORATORY PROTOCOLS....................................................................... 84 C. RADIAL PLOTS AND WEIGHTED HISTOGRAMS ................................... 101 D. SAMPLE LOCATIONS AND MISCELLANEOUS DATA .......................... 141 E. ELEMENTS CONCENTRATIONS FROM ICP-MS AND XRF ANALYSES ...................................................................................... 146 REFERENCES CITED ................................................................................................ 161 v LIST OF TABLES TABLE Page 1. Average OSL Dates ........................................................................................... 58 2. XRF Radiation Samples .................................................................................... 60 3. XRF Dosimetry Samples ................................................................................... 61 4. ICP-MS Radiation Samples .............................................................................. 62 5. ICP-MS Dosimetry Samples ............................................................................. 62 vi LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE Page 1. Area map of Mojave Desert .............................................................................. 16 2. Decay curve sample LB395 .............................................................................. 27 3. Growth curve sample LB395 ............................................................................ 28 4. Soda Lake region and study areas ..................................................................... 36 5. Temporal comparison of whole assemblage ..................................................... 53 6. Temporal range for site SBR-3571 ................................................................... 54 7. Temporal range for site SBR-3570 ................................................................... 54 8. Temporal range for site SBR-5421 ................................................................... 55 9. Temporal range for site SBR-5417 ................................................................... 55 10. Screen capture of Analyst software ................................................................
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