REPORTS 151 Obsidian Studies in the Truckee population movements. For example, in a land­ Meadows, mark study of obsidian procurement patterns in northeastern and south-central Oregon, JAMES HUTCHEVS and DWIGHT D. Hughes (1986) established that the identified obsid­ SIMONS ian sources represented are more numerous and Kautz Environmental Consultants, Inc., 5200 Neil Rd., more distant in skes characterized by temporally Suite 200, Reno, NV 89502. diagnostic EUco series projectile points than in skes dated to earlier or later periods. The is a well-watered val­ The relative abundance of obsidian from diverse ley in with archaeological evi­ and distant sources provided the basis for suggest­ dence of aboriginal human occupation extend­ ing that the obsidian was procured indkectly by ex­ ing fi-om 150 B.P. to about 10,000 B.P. Obsid­ change through an extensive obsidian trade net­ ian samples from 27 archaeological sites in and around the Truckee Meadows (401 individual work which flourished during Elko times, but was specimens) have been analyzed for geochemical less expansive at other times (Hughes 1986). source determination, and 183 of these obsidian Using similar data, diachronic variability in rela­ specimens have been analyzed for hydration rind thicknesses. A total of 20 different obsid­ tive abundance of obsidian from diverse and distant ian sources in seven distinct geographic locali­ sources at skes in Drews Valley in south-central ties is represented in the combined obsidian Oregon has been explained by shifting settlement samples. Despite this great diversity, 46% of patterns and population movements of people who the sample obsidian was derived from local sources, while 38% was derived from the Mono are assumed to have procured their obsidian direct­ Basin in southeast California. The remainder of ly at the sources, rather than indirectly through ex­ the sample obsidian (16%) was derived from change (Connolly and Jenkins 1997). sources scattered throughout northeast Califor­ nia and northwest Nevada, as well as from sev­ A number of obsidian studies has been conduct­ eral unidentified sources. No temporal trends ed ki the Tmckee Meadows, producing specific ob­ or shifts in the utilization of particular obsidian sidian source information for 363 specimens, as sources are apparent in the sample. Hydration weU as 183 hydration rind measurements. This re­ rind thicknesses vary from 0.8 p to 9.8 p, but the data for Sutro Springs obsidian suggest that hy­ port synthesizes the results of these studies in order dration rind thickness is an unreliable tech­ to characterize the obsidian data recovered from nique for determining the age of obsidian arti­ sites wkhin and around the Tmckee Meadows. In facts, whether relative or absolute. the foUowing sections, we provide a brief overview of the Tmckee Meadows, present a summary of the currently available obsidian data, and discuss ap­ DURING the last two decades, obsidian studies parent trends in the data. have become increasingly important in the archae­ THE TRUCKEE MEADOWS ology of far westem North America, especially in northem and central California (see Taylor 1976 The Tmckee Meadows (Figs. 1 and 2) is named Earle and Ericson 1977; Ericson and Earle 1982 for the Tmckee River, which flows through the Hughes 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1994 valley from west to east, takkig water from Lake Hughes and Bettkiger 1984; Hughes and Benny- Tahoe to Pyramid Lake (Glancy et al. 1984; Gates hofifl986; Jackson 1986, 1988; Whiteet al. 1993; and Walters 1992). It is one of several well- Baugh and Ericson 1994). Many obsidian studies watered, lushly vegetated valleys located along the have provided the foundations for archaeological east front of the northem . The inferences regarding dynamics of prehistoric land Truckee Meadows is approxknately 19 km. (12 use, patterns of frade and exchange, ethnicity, and mi.) north/south by 16 km. (10 mi.) east/west, and 152 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND ANTHROPOLOGY

Fig. 1. Location of the Tmckee Meadows in westem Nevada.

is bounded on the west by the , (completed ki 1868) followed the whose highest point is (3,285 m. through the Truckee Meadows, promoting the ini­ [10,776 ft.]). To the north is Peavine Mountain tial growth of the cities of Reno and Sparks along (2,519 m. [8,266 ft.]), surrounded by lower hills. the river. The eastem boundary of the Truckee Meadows Prehistoric human occupancy of the Tmckee basin is formed by the Virgkiia Range, which has Meadows and envkons appears to have begun a number of peaks above 6,000 ft. (1,830 m.), such about 10,000 B.P. with the pre-Archaic Period as Louse Peak (2,092 m. [6,862 ft.]). The Steam­ Phase, represented by isolated finds boat HUls at the southern aid of the Truckee Mead­ of fluted pokits (Elston 1986; Elston et al. 1994, ows have a maxknum elevation of 1,883 m. (6,178 1995). Great Baski Stemmed series pokits typify ft.). The floor of the Tmckee Meadows has an aver­ the subsequent Tahoe Reach Phase, which lasted age elevation of 1,372 m. (4,500 ft.). Spanish from ca. 10,000 to 8,000 B.P. The Spooner Phase Springs VaUey and Lemmon VaUey lie knmediately (8,000 to 5,000 B.P.) marks the Early Archaic north of the Tmckee Meadows, while Pleasant Val­ Period, durkig which adaptive sfrategies kivolvkig ley and are situated to the south. less mobility and more kitensive reliance upon The route of the historic Cenfral Pacific Raikoad plant foods and small game began to emerge. REPORTS 153

SP.-OflSH SPRINGS VALLEY

KEY

H HulTiktr Hllll 1 26W.65 2 26WJ2211 3 26WE58«3 4 26Wi3017 5 2«W«5190 6 26Wa5I86 7 26W.5I83 8 26Wi5204 9 26W.3197 and 26Wt520S 10 26Wil450 M MWi4331 i: :6Wi4330 13 26Wil4a8/14<9 14 26Wa4319 IS 26Wa5949 16 26W13944 17 26W.5897 IS 26Wa59U 19 26Wa2016 :o 26W,5K3 PLEASANT :i :6WJ2014 22 :6Wa5929 VALLEY 23 26Wa59:4 Slide Mtn. 24 26Wi99 25 26W11414 ' Washoe 26 26Wa2(U8 ro Lake r^-dS^ Fig. 2. Archaeological sites contributing to obsidian studies.

A dramatic kicrease ki archaeological visibility the bow and arrow; an apparent preference for characterizes the Middle Archaic Period Martis chert (i.e., cryptocrystallkie silicates) toolstone; re­ Phase (5,000 to 1,300 B.P.). It is distinguished by duction ki tool size; possible reduction ki house a weU-developed biface reduction trajectory, char­ size; kifroduction of bedrock mortars and hullers as acterized by Martis series and Elko series dart a consequence of the development of the acom/pki- points, and a variety of bifaces, retouched flakes, yon complexes; and establishment of more perma­ and perforators/gravers, often made from basak nent, established whiter base camps (Elston 1986; (Elston 1986; Elsasser and Gortiier 1991). A Elston et al. 1995). The Late Archaic Period is plethora of Martis Phase sites occurs, often con- divided kito two temporal phases. Rosegate series tainmg associated features such as houses, cache and Gunther series projectile pokits are typical of pks, and hearths. The frequent presence of sub­ the Early Kkigs Beach Phase (1,300 to 700 B.P.). stantial quantities of ground stone artifacts at Mar­ These are replaced durkig the Late Kings Beach tis Phase sites, especially manos and metates/mill- Phase (700 to 150 B.P.) by Desert series pokits. kig stones, attests to the knportance of plant foods. The Late Kings Beach Phase cokicides with the The subsequent Late Archaic Period is marked Terminal Archaic Period defined for the westem by a number of cultural changes: kifroduction of Great Baski ki general. It has been argued that the 154 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY

Table 1 OBSIDIAN SOURCES IN THE COMBINED SAMPLE

Geographic Area Obsidian Source* No. of Specimens % of Total Truckee Meadows Sutro Springs 148 36.9 C. B. Concrete 37 9.2 Patrick 0 0.0 Mono Basin Bodie Hills 79 19.7 Mount Hicks 53 13.2 Pine Grove Hills 16 4.0 Casa Diablo 2 0.5 Queen 1 0.25 Northwest Nevada Fox Mountain 6 1.5 Homecamp A B 4 1.0 Majuba Mountain 3 0.75 Duck Flat 2 0.5 Paradise Valley 0.25 Warner Mountains South Warners 4 1.0 Buck Mountain 0.25 Sugar Hill 0.25 ledicine Lake Highlands East Medicine Lake 0.25 Grasshopper Flat/ Lost Iron Wells 0.25 North Coast Ranges Mount Konocti 0.25 Napa Valley 0.25 Sacramento Valley Tuscan 0.25 multiple areas unidentified sources 38 9.5 ALL SOURCES 401 100

" Source determinations were performed by Geochemical Research Laboratory or by Biosystems Analysis, Inc. Hydration rind thicknesses were measured by the Obsidian Hydration Laboratory at the Anthropological Studies Center, Sonoma State University, or by Biosystems Analysis, Inc.

Late Archaic peoples kihabitkig the Truckee Mead­ (1996), Delacorte (1997), Hutchins et al. (1997a, ows and environs were the ancestors of the ethno- 1997b), Sknons (1997a, 1997b), and Mires and historic and present-day Washoe, for whom the HutchuB (1998). Many of the obsidian specimens Tmckee Meadows was (and is) part of their core were also analyzed to measure hydration rind territory (e.g.. Price 1962, 1980; Downs 1966; thicknesses. The combined resuks of obsidian d'Azevedo 1986; Elston etal. 1994, 1995). source determinations are summarized ki Table 1. A total of 20 different obsidian sources from OBSIDLVN STUDIES seven distinct geographic localkies was identified Obsidian samples from 27 sites within and from the samples. Obsidian was derived from around the Truckee Meadows have been analyzed sources as far north as Sugar Hill (160 mi. distant) to determine geochemical sources (Figs. 2 and 3). in the Wamer Mountakis, as far south as Casa The results of these obsidian analyses were pre­ Diablo near the Mono Baski (130 mi. distant), as sented by Clay (1990), Matranga (1992), Moore far east as Paradise Valley in northwest Nevada and Burke (1992), Hughes (1995), Origer (1995), (180 mi. distant), and as far west as Mount Konoc­ Kautz (1996), Kautz and Christensen (1996), ti ki the North Coast Ranges of California (160 mi. Sknons and Hutchins (1996), Simons and Kautz distant) (Fig. 3). Despite this great diversity, 46% REPORTS 155

Fig. 3. Obsidian sources represented in the Truckee Meadows. of all sample obsidian was obtakied from local of CaUahan (1979), ki which Stage I is an unmodi­ sources, while 38% was obtakied from the Mono fied flake blank. Stage V is a finished tool, and Basin (kicluding Bodie Hills, Mount Hicks, Pine Stages n through IV are intermediate stages of pro­ Grove Hills, Casa Diablo, and Queen). Figure 4 gressive biface reduction. Biface stages were am­ shows the proportional distribution of sample ob­ biguous or not stated in a number of the reports re­ sidian by geographic area (for readability, the data viewed, so only 223 pieces are Usted in Table 2. It for the Wamer Mountains, Medickie Lake High­ seems very likely that many more finished artifacts lands, North Coast Ranges, and Sacramento Valley (Stage V) have been submitted for source determi­ are grouped kito "Northem CaUfornia"). One local nation than debitage and kitermediate stage bifaces, obsidian source (Pafrick) is conspicuously absent resuking ki a disproportionate representation of from the samples, even though Patrick obsidian has projectke pokits and other formed tools. However, been recovered from nearby sites ki the Pah Rah the presence of debitage and early stage bifaces Range (Delacorte 1997:115-120). (i.e.. Stages II and III) knapped from Mono Basin The distribution of obsidian debkage and biface obsidian kidicates that at least some of the obsidian reduction stages is shown ki Table 2. The bifaces from Mono Basin sources arrived in the Truckee were classified accordkig to the five-stage system Meadows as cores, blanks, and/or rough-outs. 156 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY

Table 2 LITHIC REDUCTION STAGES IN THE COMBINED SAMPLE

Biface Stages' Geographic Area Obsidian Source Debitage II III IV yb Truckee Meadows Sutro Springs 43 7 8 4 27 C. B. Concrete 5 5 3 4 5 Mono Basin Bodie Hills 12 2 8 8 20 Mount Hicks 6 2 1 7 6 Pine Grove Hills 0 0 2 I 1 Northwest Nevada Fox Mountain 2 0 0 1 0 Homecamp A, B 0 2 0 1 0 Majuba Mountain 1 0 0 0 2 Paradise Valley 0 0 0 0 I Wamer Mountains South Warners I 0 1 0 2 Buck Mountain 0 0 0 0 I Medicine Lake Highlands East Medicine Lake 0 0 0 0 2 North Coast Ranges Mount Konocti 0 0 0 1 0 Napa Valley 0 0 1 0 0 multiple areas unidentified sources 1 2 5 1 8 All Sources 71 20 29 28 75

• From Callahan (1979). ** Includes projectile points, as well as other formed tools.

ian sample consists of projectile points which have been assigned to morphological types (Table 3). Most of these projectile point types have well- Truckee Meadows defined temporal ranges ki the westem Great Baski (Thomas 1981; Elsasser and Gortner 1991), and provide chronological kiformation regardkig the time periods durkig which particular obsidian sources were utilized. Desert series (Late Kings Beach Phase) points in the sample were derived from obsidian sources m the Tmckee Meadows and the Mono Baski. Rosegate series (Early Kings Unidentified Mono Basin Beach Phase) pokits ki the sample came from a

Northem California variety of obsidian sources located ki the Truckee Northwest Nevada Meadows, the Mono Basin, the Wamer Mountakis, and two unidentified source localkies. EUio series (Martis Phase) pokits origkiated from sources ki Fig. 4. Proportional distribution of obsidian sources. the Tmckee Meadows and the Mono Baski. Martis series (Martis Phase) pokits were derived from ob­ sidian sources ki the Truckee Meadows, northwest rather than as finished artifacts. The same is frue, Nevada, and three unidentified source localities. of course, for obsidian derived from local sources. Curiously, no Mono Basin sources are repre­ A total of 46 specknens ki the combkied obsid­ sented ki the sample of Martis series pokits, even REPORTS 157

Table 3 PROJECTILE POINTS IN THE COMBINED SAMPLE

Geographic Area Obsidian Source Projectile Point Type No. of Specimens Truckee Meadows Sutro Springs Desert series 4 Rosegate series 10 Martis series 3 Elko series 1 C. B. Concrete Desert series 1 Rosegate series 1 Martis series 1 Mono Basin Bodie Hills Desert series 2 Rosegate series 8 Elko series 3 Mount Hicks Rosegate series Humboldt series Pine Grove Hills Humboldt series Casa Diablo Elko series Northwest Nevada Majuba Mountain Martis series Gatecliff series Wamer Mountains South Warners Rosegate series multiple areas imidentified sources Rosegate series 2 Martis series 3 All Sources All Types 46 though contemporary EUco series pokits were de­ range of hydration rind measurements for obsidian rived from obsidian sources ki the Mono Baski. specknois derived from Bodie Hills (0.8 to 8.4 p), Three of the projectile pokits are not usually C. B. Concrete (0.9 to 8.4 p). Mount Hicks (2.1 to associated with particular cultural phases in the 9.8 p), and Sufro Sprkigs (0.9 to 8.6 p) suggests a Truckee Meadows. Two Humboldt series pokits long time span for utilization of these Tmckee (3,000 B.C. to A.D. 700) occur ki the sample, both Meadows and Mono Basin obsidian sources, and from Mono Basin sources. A single Gatecliff are consistent with the potential tkne span knplied series pokit (SpUt-stemmed variety; 3,000 to 1,300 by temporally diagnostic projectile point types B.C.) origkiated from Majuba Mountaki in north­ from the Middle Archaic and Late Archaic periods. west Nevada. No tonporal frends ki the utilization Only 18 typeable projectile points ki the combined of particular obsidian sources are apparent ki the obsidian sample had hydration rinds measured sample. On the confrary, k seems clear that the (Table 5). Althou^this small number of pokits is Truckee Meadows and the Mono Baski were the kiadequate for correlatkig specific ranges of primary geographic sources of obsidian throughout hydration rkid thicknesses with particular tem­ the Middle Archaic and Late Archaic Periods, a porally diagnostic projectile point types, these data tune span from approximately 5,000 to 150 B.P. contribute to the available data base for such re­ Hydration rkid thicknesses are summarized by search. obsidian source ki Table 4. Figures 5 and 6 pre­ sent hydration rkid measurements for Bodie Hills DISCUSSION and Sufro Springs, the most abundantly represented Exotic obsidian at Truckee Meadows sites and obsidian sources in the combkied sample. The wide localities was derived primarily from the Mono Ba- 158 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY

Table 4 HYDRATION RIND MEASUREMENTS IN THE COMBINED SAMPLE*

Obsidian Source Hydration Rind Thickness Range Modc($) Bodie Hills 0.8, 1.0, 2.1, 2.1, 2.2, 2.2, 2.4, 2.4, 2.5, 2.5, 7.6 4.8, 5.2 2.6, 2.7, 2.7, 2.7, 3.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.1, 3.5, 3.5, 4.2, 4.2, 4.4, 4.4, 4.5, 4.8, 4.8, 4.8, 4.8, 4.9, 5.0, 5.2, 5.2, 5.2, 5.2, 5.3, 5.6, 5.7, 6.2, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.4, 6.7, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 7.8, 7.9, 8.4 Bordwell Spring 1.0 Casa Diablo 2.1,4.3 2.2 C. B. Concrete 0.9, 1.7, 1.7, 2.4, 2.8, 2.9, 3.2, 3.4, 3.4, 7.5 1.7,3.4 3.7,4.5,4.7,5.0,7.8,8.0,8.1,8.4 Duck Flat 3.0,6.1 3.1 Fox Mountain 1.6,4.7,4.7,5.1,6.1,7.3 5.7 4.7 Homecamp A, B 2.7 - Majuba Mountain 7.1 ~ Mount Hicks 2.1, 2.5, 2.6, 2.6, 2.7, 2.7, 2.7, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9, 7.7 2.7 2.9, 2.9, 3.0, 3.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.1, 3.1, 41, 4.4, 5.0,5.2,5.7,6.0,6.0,6.1,6.9,9.8 Pine Grove Hills 5.8 - South Warners 2.5,4.1 1.6 Sugar Hill 8.6 - Sutro Springs 0.9, 0.9, 1.0, 1.1, 1.3, 1.7, 1.8, 2.0, 2.2, 2.3, 7.7 2.5, 2.6 2.4, 2.4, 2.4, 2.4, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.5, 2.6, 2.6, 2.6, 2.6, 2.6, 2.7, 2.7, 2.7, 2.7, 2.9, 3.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.1, 3.1, 3.2, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8, 3.8, 3.8, 3.8, 40, 40, 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 43, 45, 4.7, 47, 48, 48, 4.9, 5.1, 5.2, 5.2, 5.7, 6.0, 6.1, 6.2, 6.8, 7.2, 7.5, 7.7, 7.8, 7.9, 8.6

" All measurements are in microns. sin. Approximately 38% of the sample obsidian cellent obsidian available ki the Mono Basin, and came from five sources in and around the Mono obtauied k dkectly from the sources (Price 1962: Basin, including Bodie Hills, Mount Hicks, Pine 50). They may have obtakied the obsidian while Grove Hills, Casa Diablo, and Queen. This con­ engaged ki procuring another knportant resource in spicuous concentration of Mono Basin obsidian in the Mono Basin, i.e., fly larvae known as "kut- the Truckee Meadows suggests a close cultural savi," which the Washoe obtakied fresh from the relationship between the populations of these two lake during late summer, or as a dried food com­ geographic areas, and the range of temporally diag­ modity received ki frade with the Northem Paiute nostic projectile point types knapped from Mono (Price 1962:52; d'Azevedo 1986:476). Baski obsidian indicates that the Unk persisted from In addkion to extracting Mono Baski obsidian the Middle Archaic Period through the Terminal for thek own use, the Washoe may have collected Archaic Period. The Washoe provide ethnographic k as a valuable commodity. The Washoe exported evidence for this link. They were aware of the ex­ obsidian and other commodkies to the neighborkig REPORTS 159

0.0-0.4 0.0-0.4 0.5-0.9 0.5-0.9 1.0-1.4 1.0-1.4 1.5-1.9 1.5-1.9 •«• 2.0-2.4 "« 2.0-2.4 2 2.5-2.9 g 2.5-2.9 .a 3.0-3.4 .2 3.0-3.4 £3.5-3.9 £3.5-3.9 •a 4.0-4.4 •a 4.0-4.4 £ 4.5-4.9 ^ 4.5-4.9 c 5.0-5.4 c 5.0-5.4 •2 5.5-5.9 ;=q B 5.5-5.9 2 6.0-6.4 2 6.0-6.4 "§.6.5-6.9 >.6.5-6.9 ^ 7.0-7.4 ^ 7.0-7.4 7.5-7.9 7.5-7.9 8.0-8.4 8.0-8.4 8.5-8.9 8.5-8.9 14 16 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 4 6 8 10 12 Number of Specimens Number of Specimens

Fig. 5. HydratiOTi rind measurements for Bodie Hills Fig. 6. Hydration rind measurements for Sutro Sprkigs obsidian. obsidian.

Miwok, Nisenan, and Northem Paiute, receiving a Sacramento Valley to Sierran sites located west of variety of goods ki exchange (Price 1962:51; and farther north. South of Lake Hughes and BennyhoflF 1986:242). The Mono Ba­ Tahoe, obsidian originating from the Mono Basin ski, then, was economically important to the ethno­ and envkons frequently was dispatched west into graphic Washoe as a source of obsidian and as a central California. Accordkig to this model, then, source of bulk food that could be stored for winter the most abundantly represented exotic obsidian use. The prehistoric peoples of the Tmckee Mead­ source in the Truckee Meadows would be Bodie ows seem to have had a similar economic relation­ Hills. The model is supported by the data in this ship to the Mono Baski. study (see Table 1). The proportional distribution (Fig. 4) ki the The Truckee Meadows combined obsidian Tmckee Meadows of obsidian from Mono Baski sample suggests that there may be a significant and other exotic sources is consistent with the problem with hydration dating of Sufro Springs model of prehistoric obsidian exchange networks ki obsidian, whether relative or absolute. As shown the northem Sierra Nevada and envkons developed in Table 5, the hydration rkids on Desert series by Markley and Day (1992:187, Fig. II) and pokits knapped from Sufro Springs and Bodie Hills corroborated by Jackson et al. (1994). On both obsidian are generally thicker than the hydration sides of the north-cenfral Sierra Nevada crest, rinds on older, Rosegate series points. For the Bodie Hills obsidian appears to have commonly Bodie Hills specimens, the discrepancy is slight and ckculated in a northerly dkection from ks source. might be interpreted as an indication of temporal In contrast, obsidian derived from sources located overlap. For the Sufro Springs specimens, however, ki northeastem California and northwestem the discrepancy is substantial and diflficuk to ex- Nevada generally were dispersed south along the plaki. One of these Sutro Sprkigs obsidian Desert west side of the Sierran axis to the area lying west series points (4.0 p hydration rkid) was recovered of the Tahoe Baski. Obsidian from the North from 26Wa4331 in the south Truckee Meadows, Coast Ranges often made ks way east across the and the other (4.8 p hydration rind) comes from 160 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY

Table 5 PROJECTILE POINTS WITH HYDRATION RIND MEASUREMENTS IN THE COMBINED SAMPLE

Obsidian Source Projectile Point Type Hydration Rind (in microns) Sutro Springs Desert series 4.0, 4.8 Rosegate series 2.4,2.6,2.6,3.0,41 Bodie Hills Desert series 2.4, 2.5 Rosegate series 2.1,2.1,5.2 Moimt Hicks Rosegate series 3.0 Pine Grove Hills Humboldt series 5.8 Casa Diablo Elko series 4.3 South Warners Rosegate series 4.1 unidentified sources Rosegate series 2.0, 4.2

26Wa2211 in Spanish Sprkigs Valley (Fig. 2). In bon dates is 0.17. In other words, the Sutro both cases, these Sutro Springs obsidian Desert Springs hydration rind thicknesses are essentially series pokits have thicker hydration rinds than the independent of the associated radiocarbon dates, Sutro Springs obsidian Rosegate series points re­ and time appears to be an insignificant variable covered from the same sites in similar deposkional contributing to the formation of hydration rinds on contexts. Although the sample is smaU, this anom­ Sutro Springs obsidian. Since Delacorte's (1997: aly is contrary to the general principle that the 146-150) kiferences regardkig temporal trends in thicker the hydration rind thickness, the older the prehistoric settlement and subsistence patiems ki specknen, knplykig that chronological frameworks the Truckee Meadows region are based largely on based on hydration datkig (relative or absolute) of absolute hydration dating of Sufro Sprkigs obsid­ Sutro Springs obsidian may be untenable. ian, they are dubious and unconvincing. Further evidence of anomalous hydration rkid Obsidian hydration rind development and re­ development ki Sufro Springs obsidian was pro­ tention are affected by a variety of factors, in­ vided by Delacorte (1997:143-146). His chrono­ cluding available moisture, ambient temperature, logical framework based on obsidian hydration rind depositional context, density of overlykig sedknents datkig assigned absolute dates to artifacts knapped (if any), and subsurface movement due to tram- from Sutro Springs obsidian, but his own data plkig, bioturbation, cryoturbation, and other dis­ demonstrated the extreme variability ki hydration turbance processes (SchiflFer 1987:121 -140). The rkid formation. Analysis of the eight paks of mean obsidian data from the Truckee Meadows suggest hydration rind thicknesses on Sutro Sprkigs obsid­ that these factors (and perhaps others) produce ian artifacts and mean radiocarbon dates for asso­ variable rates of hydration rind development and ciated archaeological features (Table 6) indicates retention for Sufro Springs obsidian through tkne, a correlation of Pearson's r = 0.15, which yields an and that hydration rkid thickness is not a reliable explakied variance of Pearson's r^ = 0.02 (i.e., the technique for determkikig the age of Sufro Springs variance is essentially unexplained). Uskig Spear­ obsidian artifacts, neither for relative nor absolute man's r, an equivalent (though less sensitive) non- dates. If this is tme for Sufro Springs obsidian, k parametric correlation coefficient, the correlation may also be frue for obsidian derived from other between hydration rkid thicknesses and radiocar­ sources. REPORTS 161

Table 6 SUTRO SPRINGS OBSIDLVN HYDRATION RINDS AND ASSOCL\TED RADIOCARBON DATES"

Hydration Rind Thickness (in microns) Radiocarbon Date (years B.P.) No. of Specimens Mean Standard Deviation 1 2.0 — 930± 150 6 2.3 0.4 820 ±150 4 2.4 0.7 1040 ±100 2 2.4 0.1 1060 ± 70 I 2.7 - 480 ± 70 i 2.9 ~ 770 ± 70 13 3.1 0.5 13iO±320 1 45 990 ± 100

'From Delacorte(1997:145 , Table 30).

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