Far Western Great Basin Branch Geochemical and Hydration PO Box 758 Investigations of Source Virginia City, NV 89440 775-847-0223 and Artifact Obsidian from Selected Sites in the Double H Mountains, Humboldt County, Nevada BLM Report Number CR2-1443 By: D. Craig Young Craig E. Skinner Steven D. Neidig Jennifer J. Thatcher February 2008 Prepared for: Oregon-Idaho Utilities Co. 1023 N. Horton St. Nampa, Idaho 83651 Submitted to: Winnemucca Field Office Bureau of Land Management 5100 W. Winnemucca Blvd. Winnemucca, Nevada 89445 FAR WESTERN ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH GROUP, INC. 2727 Del Rio Place, Suite A, Davis, California, 95618 http://www.farwestern.com 530-756-3941 FW ID #365 FW ID Geochemical and Hydration Investigations of Source and Artifact Obsidian from Selected Sites in the Double H Mountains, Humboldt County, Nevada BLM Report Number CR2-1443 By: D. Craig Young Craig E. Skinner Steven D. Neidig Jennifer J. Thatcher February 2008 Prepared for: Oregon-Idaho Utilities Co. 1023 N. Horton St. Nampa, Idaho 83651 Submitted to: Winnemucca Field Office Bureau of Land Management 5100 W. Winnemucca Blvd. Winnemucca, Nevada 89445 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 1 GEOLOGIC SETTING OF THE DOUBLE H SOURCE AREA ............................................................. 3 Previous Geologic Investigations in the McDermitt Complex .................................................................... 3 GEOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS OF THE DOUBLE H OBSIDIAN SOURCE............................ 6 Obsidian Source Collection Localities in the Double H Mountains............................................................ 7 Hoppin Springs 1 and 2 ......................................................................................................................... 7 Pretty-Moonshine Ridge 1 and 2............................................................................................................ 7 Moonshine Quarry................................................................................................................................. 7 Pretty Creek Quarry............................................................................................................................... 7 Jordan Meadows..................................................................................................................................... 8 Thacker Pass Area................................................................................................................................... 8 Quinn River Terrace Deposits................................................................................................................ 8 Other Double H Source Areas................................................................................................................ 8 Visual Characteristics of Double H Obsidian ........................................................................................... 11 X-Ray Fluorescence Trace Element Analysis of the Double H Obsidian Source ....................................... 11 Analytical Methods............................................................................................................................... 11 Results of Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 14 Discussion............................................................................................................................................ 14 PREHISTORIC USE OF OBSIDIAN IN THE DOUBLE H MOUNTAINS ........................................ 19 Previous Archaeological Provenance Investigations................................................................................... 19 Local Archaeological Patterning of Source Use: Quinn River and Thacker Pass Area Sites........................ 19 Quinn River Area Sites......................................................................................................................... 20 Thacker Pass Area Sites ........................................................................................................................ 22 Trace Element Provenance Studies of Obsidian Artifacts from the Quinn River and Thacker Pass Area Sites22 Results of Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 23 Discussion............................................................................................................................................ 23 Obsidian Hydration Investigations of Obsidian Artifacts from the Quinn River and Thacker Pass Area Sites ......................................................................................................................................................... 25 Methods............................................................................................................................................... 25 Results of Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 26 Hydration Chronology from the Thacker Pass Secondary Sources........................................................ 26 Hydration Chronology from the Quinn River Area Components......................................................... 29 CONCLUSIONS..................................................................................................................................... 32 REFERENCES CITED............................................................................................................................ 33 Geochemical and Hydration Investigations of Source and i Far Western Artifact Obsidian from Selected Sites in the Double H Mountains, Humboldt County, Nevada APPENDICES Appendix A. Results of X-Ray Fluorescence Trace Element Analysis of Obsidian Source Specimens from the Double H Mountains. Appendix B. Results of X-Ray Fluorescence Trace Element Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts from the Quinn River and Thacker Pass Area Sites. Appendix C. Results of Obsidian Hydration Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts from the Quinn River and Thacker Pass Area Sites. Appendix D. Locations of Double H Mountains Obsidian Source Localities. Appendix E. Artifact Catalog and Analysis Tables. LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Project Location .............................................................................................................................. 2 Figure 2. Obsidian Source and Sample Localities and Geologic Map.............................................................. 4 Figure 3. The Quinn River Valley and the Santa Rosa Range......................................................................... 9 Figure 4. Sentinel Rock. ............................................................................................................................... 10 Figure 5. Geologic Specimens Illustrating the Visual Range of Variability of Obsidian from the Double H Source Localities. ................................................................................................................................... 12 Figure 6. Rubidium (Rb) Plotted Versus Zirconium (Zr) for the Double H Obsidian Source Specimens. .... 15 Figure 7. Rubidium (Rb) Plotted Versus Zirconium (Zr) for the Double H and Whitehorse Obsidian Source Specimens.............................................................................................................................................. 17 Figure 8. Rubidium (Rb) Plotted Versus Zirconium (Zr) for Major Obsidian Sources in Northwestern Nevada. ................................................................................................................................................. 18 Figure 9. Zirconium (Zr) Plotted Versus Rubidium (Rb) for All Analyzed Artifacts. .................................... 24 Figure 10. Range of Obsidian Hydration Measurements for Project Artifacts............................................... 27 Figure 11. Frequency Distribution of Hydration Rims Recorded on Double H/Whitehorse Artifacts. ......... 28 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Obsidian Source Sampling Locations................................................................................................ 6 Table 2. Results of Hydration Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts........................................................................ 14 Table 3. Results of Trace Element Investigations of Artifacts from the Project Sites. .................................... 23 Table 4. Results of Hydration Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts........................................................................ 25 Table 5. Obsidian Hydration Statistics for Secondary Sources...................................................................... 29 Table 6. Temporal Indicators at 26Hu1989................................................................................................. 29 Table 7. Temporal Indicators at 26Hu2934................................................................................................. 29 Table 8. Obsidian Hydration Statistics for Discrete Component Sites.......................................................... 29 Table 9. Temporal Indicators at 26Hu4242................................................................................................. 30 Table 10. Temporal Indicators at 26Hu4243..............................................................................................