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QUATERNARY RESEARCH 37, 117-124 (1992)

Obsidian Hydration Dating and Temperature Controls in the Punta


Negra Region of Northern Chile
THOMAS F. LYNCH*

AND

CHRISTOPHERM. STEVENSON-t
*Departmeni of Anthropology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853; and TDiffusion Laboratories,
Archaeological Services Con.sultants, Box 02095. Columbus, Ohio 42302
Received August 7. 1990
Effective hydration temperature (EHT) is essential for the computation of obsidian hydration
dates. In the Atacama Desert, the scarcity of air-temperature records combines with extremes of
elevation and local temperature to encourage, or even require, the use of buried thermal cells to
record on-‘site mean annual temperatures. Compositional analysis (sourcing) and hydration rate
development in the laboratory are also necessary, especially where other dating methods are
unavailable to confirm the hydration rate. Paleoindian or Early Archaic through modern obsidian
dates support a human settlement pattern history derived from archaeological/geomorphological
studies of climatological and hydrological change. ia 1992 Umversity of Washington.

INTRODUCTION THE OBSIDIAN DATING PROCESS


The specimens and dates reported here To calculate an absolute date for an ob-
result from am investigation of the settle- sidian artifact four analytical procedures
ment and climate history of the Punta needed to be completed. First, the amount
Negra basin and two nearby salt lakes of of surface hydration, or the thickness of the
the North Chilean Gran Despoblado hydration rim, was measured. Second, the
(Lynch, 1984, 1986, 1990). There, changing geological origin of the artifact was ascer-
temperature, precipitation, glaciation, veg- tained in order that the appropriate set of
etation, and human adaptation patterns all rate constants, particular to each glass
interact in an interdependent manner that is type, could be applied. Third, the hydration
especially noliceable in the delicately bal- rate constants for each compositionally dis-
anced ecology of the Atacama Desert and tinct natural glass were determined at ele-
Salt Puna. vated temperature within the laboratory.
In this article we discuss an experiment Lastly, the soil temperature at the archae-
in obsidian hydration dating initiated by the ological site was measured so that the rate
senior author in 1985. The purpose of ob- of hydration developed at high temperature
taining obsidian hydration dates was not might be adjusted to reflect the hydration
strictly archaeological. Rather, collaborat- temperature at the prehistoric site.
ing archaeologists and geomorphologists
wished to dat’e changing lake levels, strand- HYDRATION RIM MEASUREMENT
lines, stream terrace sequences, and spring A thin section was prepared for each
activity cycles through the numerous, and sample under the guidelines presented by
mostly suficial, human activity sites and Michels and Bebrich (1971). Hydration rim
settlement pattern associated with the geo- width measurements were made at 800x
morphologic evidence of climate and hy- using a Watson image-splitting measure-
drological change. ment instrument (Scheetz and Stevenson,

117
0033-5894/92 $3.00
Copyright 0 1992 by the University of Washington.
All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
118 LYNCH AND SlbVtNSON

1988). Seven independent measurements glasses that indicate diverse \OLII-ccs were
were made and a mean value and standard utilized in this volcanically active area.
deviation were calculated (Table I ). The Some obsidian may have come from a pri-
standard deviations represented the preci- mary source near Meniques-Miscanti in the
sion errors associated with the measure- eastern catchment of the Salar de Atacama
ment process and were used to determine (Niemeyer and Schiappacasse. IY76). but
the uncertainty factor for each age determi- the considerable diversity within the Punta
nation. Within the set of 26 samples from I1 Negra collections suggests that several
sites. two thin sections did not possess hy- sources were in common use. To determine
dration rims. In addition, these materials the number of glasses represented in the
appeared to have a fine crystalline struc- remaining sample of 24 pieces. a subset of
ture. These attributes suggest that two sam- 12 was chemically analyzed using X-ray flu-
ples (89-124 and 89-126) are possibly chert orescence (XRF).
or flint. Prior to the analysis, the microscopic at-
tributes of each thin section had been ex-
COMPOSITIONAL ANALYSIS amined. This resulted in the recognition of
The specific obsidian quarries used by three distinct types of glass: (a) clear obsid-
the prehistoric inhabitants of the Punta ian with few inclusions, (b) obsidian with
Negra region have not been located. Visual high densities of small phenocrysts and dis-
inspection of the archaeological collections persed crystals, and (cl obsidian with
revealed a variety of different colored spherical inclusions. At the end of the de-

TABLE I. OBSIDIAN HYDRATION DATES FOR ATACAMA DESERT OBSIDIANS

Laboratory Rim width


number Provenience Group (pm) 1 Date IV

89-108 PN 71 I 5.5 0.1 7177 B.C. 337


89-109 PN 71 I 5.x 0.1 8204 B.C. 355
89-l IO PN 71 3 3.9 0. I
89-111 PN 115” I 4.0 0. I 6011 B.C’ 405
89-l I2 PN II(” 2 3.0 0.1 - -
89-l I3 PN 115” , ‘,>‘I 4.4 0. I 7619 B.C. 445
89-l 14 PN 112 I? 2.9 0. I 2437 B.C. 310
89-115 PN 99 I? 4.5 0.1 7653 B.C. 434
89-116 PN 99 I? 3.7 0.1 4234 B.C. 341
89-117 PN 99 I 5.3 0.1 10301 B.C. 478
89-l 18 PN II5 2 4.6 0. I - -
89-l 19 PN 72 1 1.5 0. I 1307 A.D. 93
89-120 PN 93 3 I.9 0. I -
89-121 PN 101 I ‘? 4.9 0.1 8925 B.C 450
89-122 PN 102 I 2.6 0.1 1230 B.C. 2.52
89- I23 PN 105 4 1.4 0.1
89-124 PN 105 - - CHERT -
89-125 PN 105 2 2.7 0.1
89-126 PN 105 - - CHERT - -
89-127 PN 105 ?? 1.7 0. I
89-128 PN 105 I? 2.5 0.1 1136 B.C. 255
89-129 PN 105 I? 2.2 0.1 431 B.C. 225
89-130 PN 36 2! 1.2 0.1 -
89-131 PN 36 I :’ 1.3 0.1 1100 A.D. 142
89-132 PN 36 1? I.0 0.1 1463 A.D. III
89-133 PN 115f I? 2.8 0.1 1931 B.C. 285

u ? indicates obsidian source assignment was made on the basis of visual analysis.
CHILEAN OBSIDIAN AGES 119

scriptive process, specimens from each cat- conditions. The geochemical data gener-
egory were selected for chemical analysis. ated under these conditions are presented
The 12 specimens from the archaeological on Table 2.
assemblage were first ground to a 325-mesh An inspection of the trace element data
powder in an agate mortar and pestle and (Table 2) indicates that four distinct obsid-
mixed with methyl cellulose in a constant ians were present within the assemblage.
ratio of 0..5.5/0..45 (sample/cellulose). Then Chemical Group 1 corresponded with the
the mixture was formed into a pellet 3.2 cm clear obsidian and formed the largest set.
in diameter at 1680 psi. Group 2 corresponded to the obsidian with
Analytical standards NBS 278 Obsidian high densities of small phenocrysts and dis-
Rock and USGS RGM-1 were prepared in persed crystals, while Group 3 correlated
the same manner as the archaeological sam- with the obsidian containing spherical bod-
ples and were used to calibrate the XRF ies. In all but one case there was a perfect
system. During analysis, the archaeological correspondence between the visual sourc-
samples and thle standards were placed un- ing and the groups defined using the trace
der vacuum in an auto sample chamber of a element data. A Group-4 specimen (89-l 23)
Kevex 0700 X-,ray fluorescence subsystem. was also a clear obsidian that could not be
The equipment consisted of a rhodium X- visually distinguished from the Group- 1
ray tube, with ,a programmable high-voltage specimens.
power supply, a 15-position sample drive These preliminary data suggest that
module, and the X-ray detector. many of the Punta Negra obsidians can be
X-ray spectra were acquired over 500 set sourced using simple petrographic analysis.
of live counting time using the solid state The inability to distinguish between Groups
Si(Li) detector which recorded characteris- 1 and 4, however, indicated that errors can
tic X-rays for elements with an atomic num- be made. Additional tests of the method are
ber greater than 10. The spectrum for ele- needed, but for the moment the remaining
ments with an energy range of 1.00 to 40.0 samples in the assemblage have been as-
keV were collected under five excitation signed to a chemical group based upon vi-

TABLE 2. TRACE ELEMENTCONCENTRATIONS FORATACAMA DESERTOBSIDIANS


.~
Laboratory
number CU Zn Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Ba

Chemical Group I

89-108 19 29 220 125 6 56 15 700


89-109 - 34 214 112 2 51 9 693
89-111 17 26 215 130 4 55 21 655
89-117 - 27 209 112 4 56 14 662
89-119 15 30 210 118 3 55 15 659
89-122 - 23 217 124 3 57 IS 678

Chemical Group 2
89-l 12 39 63 86 220 - 28 19 1290
89-l 18 7 52 103 222 21 13 1180
89-125 17 61 92 221 - - IS 1210

Chemical Group 3

89-110 - 55 195 111 58 224 18 854


89-120 60 194 118 - 206 22 825

Chemical Group 4
89-123 II 20 644 17 7 17 64
120 I.YN(‘H AND STt.VtNSON

sual examination. In Table I chemical


group numbers. determined by visual ex-
amination, are accompanied by a question
mark to indicate that some uncertainty in
the group assignment remained.
HYDRATION RATE DEVELOPMENT
A hydration rate for Chemical Group I
was developed in the laboratory under con-
ditions of high temperature and pressure.
i .’
L
Seven freshly fractured flakes were hy- -i
drated in a vapor environment at IOO% rel-
1/11
J

ative humidity at temperatures ranging be-


tween 150” and 180°C for durations of up to 0 1 2 3 4 5

26 days. At the end of the reaction periods Time l&(~ays)

each sample was thin sectioned and the hy- FIG. I. Preexponential plot at 16oY ti)r Chemical
dration rim measured (Table 3). The in- Group I obsidian.

duced rims were then used to calculate (Ta-


ble 3, Figs. I and 2) the activation energy (E: wished to date obsidian artifacts. As this
= 83712 J/mol) and the preexponential would be a very expensive and nearly im-
(1.25 pm’/day at 160°C). With these vari- possible task, we tried in this experiment to
ables known, chronometric ages for the move forward by establishing direct tem-
Chemical Group 1 obsidian artifacts could perature controls at a constant depth in
be calculated once the effective hydration three critical sites. At 20 cm below the sur-
temperature of the archaeological sites had face the temperature measuring cells arc
been estimated. protected from most natural hazards. Ex-
perience shows that in some cases EHT in
SOIL TEMPERATURE ESTIMATION archaeological sites changes by a fraction
In the past, EHT usually has been of a degree with greater depth of burial, but
crudely estimated from mean annual air to study this factor and assess its signifi-
temperature recorded at a weather station cance we will need a much more elaborate
in the region of the sites under study. Ide-
ally, at the other extreme, we would deter-
mine an EHT at each site and for every
depth and provenience unit from which we

TABLE 3. TEMPERATURES. EXPOSURE PERIOD, AND


HYDRATION RIM MEASURFMENTS FOR CHEMI~AI.
GROUP 1 OBSIDIAN

Kim
Laboratory Temperature Duration width
number VT) (days) (pm) I (T

89-157 160 4 2.3 0. I


89-616 160 I’ 3.‘) 0. I
89-140 160 IX 4.6 0.1
89-618 160 26 5.8 0. I
89-365 150 12 3.0 0.1
89-364 170 I’ 5.2 0. I
FIG. 2. Activation energy plot for Chemical Group I
89-29 1 180 I:! 6.6 0. I
obsidian.
CHILEAN OBSIDIAN AGES 121

and expensive. research design. In the in- and establish a local temperature gradient
terim, for this experiment we attempted to or altitudinal lapse rate (Trembour et al.,
date only specimens found on the surface, 1986). The six cells were retrieved a year
except for 89.-133 (PN 11X) which came later, after the capsule of polycarbonate
from 10 cm be:low the surface. resin had absorbed part of the distilled wa-
There is no way of knowing whether all ter in which it was submerged. The rate of
of these artifacts have lain on the surface water diffusion through the capsule wall
through their entire history since manufac- was dependent on soil temperature, which,
ture. In fact, it is unlikely, in that most of at 20 cm depth, may approximate an EHT
the sites studied are blowouts or have been computed from air temperature. Shipped in
churned thoroughly by burrowing rodents desiccator cylinders to the laboratory, the
(especially Ctcnomys robustus and C. fill- capsules were reweighed, and the increase
VUS) to a dep,th of about 30 cm. Average in weight was converted to an integrated
depth of burial, through time, may well ap- temperature value (or EHT), using con-
proach 20 cm. The effect of diurnal temper- stants derived from experimentally deter-
ature extremes on the hydration of surface mined values (Ambrose, 1980). It was felt
specimens, as opposed to more steady sub- that these values should more accurately
surface temperatures of essentially the reflect the soil temperatures in which these
same mean value, should be questioned, shallow sites’ artifacts have hydrated than
but there is no way to quantify the error would air temperatures from distant
factor in this experiment. weather stations.’ The variance within the
Another uncontrolled variable, usually pairs of cells was cO.O6”C, and all results
ignored in obsidian hydration dating, is the (9.47” to 13.89”C) were expected for the lat-
inevitable slight change in mean annual itude and altitudes of the project area. (For
temperature over the millennia probably the purposes of this paper, the significance
covered by thie experiment. Nevertheless, of these measurements is reduced to 0. I’C.)
our EHT values calculated for the Punta These EHTs are considered reliable and
Negra region have yielded hydration ages were applied to the archaeological sites at
that are unusually consistent with, and in which they were determined.
all but one case fall within, the expected
span of settlement history. ’ Accurate, long-term air temperature records are
Soil temperatures were calculated from not available in the unpopulated project area. Never-
Ambrose-type: cells (Table 4). Three pairs theless. the mean annual temperatures for the cities of
of thermal cells were buried in sites PN 89 Oruro (10°C) and Cochabamba (16”(Z), nearly 500 km
to the north and slightly east, compare well (Rudloff,
(elevation 30210m), PN 71 (3560 m), and PN 1981). At 3706 m elevation. the station at Oruro is
36 (3730 m) in order to measure accurately equivalent to PN 36 at 3730 m, while Cochabamba, 450
the effective hydration temperature (EHT) m lower than PN 89, is the expected 2°C warmer.

TABLE4. SOILTEMPERATURE MEASUREMENTS FORTHEATACAMA DESERT

Site Altitude Depth Duration Measured Adjusted EHT


Cell location Cm) (cm) (days) EHT (“K) EHT (“K)” (“Cl
131 PN 71 3560 20 387 286.1 287.0 13.9
132 PN 71 3560 20 387 286.0 287.0 13.8
135 PN 89 3020 20 379 286.2 286.9 13.7
136 PN 89 3020 20 379 286.3 286.9 13.8
153 PN 36 3730 20 365 282.6 9.5
I54 PN 36 3730 20 365 282.6 9.5

n Adjusted EHT values reflect a 365day burial period.


122 l.YNC-H AND S.1 EVkNSOk

Elsewhere, few published obsidian hy- I ABII 5. HYDRATION KAI t r OH ( HIMAS


(q~~,~~~‘~~ GROUP I. ADJUSTED FOR EFFECTIW
dration dates have been obtained with com-
HYDRATION TEMPF.RATL~Rf
position and temperature controls compa-
rable to those from PN 36 and PN 71172 Sile Altitude Temperature Kate
(Pino, 1976). In most cases, no on-site tem- number (rn) ("K) I~rn’ilOOO yrl

perature records have been available, with XY 3020


source often determined in an entirely vi- 101 3545
sual manner. YY 3580
The difference of 4.3”C between PN 89 at 102 3600
I05 3670
3020 m (13.8”C) and PN 36 at 3730 (9.5”C) IIS 3700
yielded a lapse rate or temperature gradient VI 3730
of 6.06Wkm. This agrees extremely well 117 3750
with the accepted “standard lapse rate” of 71171 35hO
6Wkm used for comparing glacial age and
modern snowlines (e.g., Flint, 1971, p. 71).
For the Bolivian Andes, Graf (198 1) found a AGE DETERMINATION
modern summer lapse rate of 6.5”C/km Using the estimated EHTs. hydration
from 2500 to 3600 m. Johnson (1976) also ages for the specimens of Chemical Group 1
calculates 6.5Wkm between 2500 and 4500 obsidian were determined. For example,
m in Peru and Ecuador. Geoffry Seltzer the hydration rate developed at 160°C was
(personal communication, 1990) reported extrapolated to the hydration rate at 13.7”C
that the University of Minnesota Limnolog- (286.9”K) using the Arrhenius equation:
ical Research Center had derived a similar
rate (6.3”C/km) for the Peruvian Andes, K = K' exp EIRT
while Fox and Strecker (1991) calculated = K' exp EIR (I/T' ~ l/T)
S”C/km for the eastern slopes of the Argen- = 1.25 exp 83712/8.317
tine Andes. This last rate, unfortunately, (11433.16 - 11286.91)
had to be derived almost entirely from low- = 3.3 p,m’/lOOO yr,
altitude stations, so it may not be applicable
where K = archaeological hydration rate
to the western. Chilean slopes at high ele-
(~m’/lOOO yr)
vations.
K' = preexponential (km’/day at
All things considered, if we had only
160°C)
the temperature records from PN 36 and
E = activation energy (J/mole)
PN 89, it would seem completely safe to
R = universal gas constant
extrapolate those temperatures along
T’ = experimental temperature in
the local, empirically derived lapse rate
degrees Kelvin (160°C)
(6.06Wkm) to the other nearby sites at in-
T = effective hydration tempera-
termediate elevations. These EHTs are ex-
ture in degrees Kelvin
pressed in Table 5 for all sites except PN
(13.75”C).
71/72, which had its own EHT derived from
The hydration rates of 1 .Y to 3.3
two thermal cells. This temperature
~m”/lOOO yr, as shown on Table 5, were
(13.8”C) is essentially the same as that from
used to calculate the absolute ages of ob-
PN 89, which is 540 m lower in altitude.
sidian samples belonging to Chemical
Similarly, an impossibly high lapse rate
Group I (Table 1).
(3 1.TC/km) would be required to bring it
into agreement with the temperature cell at DISCUSSION
PN 36. Local, idiosyncratic factors may be
effecting soil temperature at site PN 7 1. This temperature-controlled, obsidian
CHILEAN OBSIDIAN AGES 123

hydration experiment yielded very reason- 71 and PN 89, and use that single EHT for
able results, even though it was based on a all sites except PN 36. That procedure
small number d specimens of a single ob- would have yielded a date of only 7278 B.C.
sidian type. In a report written before the for specimen 89-117. Finally, and perhaps
results from this hydration analysis were most significantly, it should be noted that
available, Lynch (1990) had concluded that PN 99 is 80 to 110 km south of the temper-
middle Archaic (6000-3500 B.C.) sites, to ature-controlled sites. Obsidian hydration
judge from the types represented in surface dating is extremely temperature-sensitive.
collections, were scarce in the Punta Negra To complete this project satisfactorily we
region. After reviewing late glacial lake- will need more closely spaced temperature
level records, changes in vegetation, and controls, more subsurface specimens to
evidence of glacier advance and retreat in date, hydration dates directly on chrono-
the south-central Andes, he proposed hu- logically sensitive artifact types, and con-
man entry of the area by the early Archaic firmation dates by the radiocarbon or other
(9000-6000 B.C.), subsequent depopulation techniques.
and perhaps abandonment, then readapta-
tion to more localized resources after 3500 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
B.C. In apparent support of the hypothesis, Ambrose-design thermal cells were provided by Jo-
only one of the 16 dates obtained from the seph Michels. whose advice is gratefully acknowl-
experimental hydration rate constants (89- edged. MOHLAB determined the EHT values. Cor-
116 from PN 99: 4234 B.C.) falls in the mid- nell University geologists Arthur Bloom and Andrew
Fox collaborated in geomorphological aspects of the
dle Archaic pleriod. At the upper end, the project, while Lynch thanks especially Sergio Valen-
latest date of A.D. 1463 (89-132 from PN zuela and Dennis Stansbury, of Minera Escondida, for
36) conforms well to the depopulation of their aid in burial and recovery of the thermal cells.
the zone after the Spanish invasion. Also, Support was provided by the National Science Foun-
late projectile: point types and numerous dation (BNS-8418815), the Jacob and Hedwig Hirsch
Fund, and Minera Escondida.
potsherds were found on the surface of
PN 36. REFERENCES
In general, t.he dates in Table 1 agree well
Ambrose. W. R. (1980). Monitoring long-term temper-
with what is known of the chronology of ature and humidity. Bulletin of the Institute for the
projectile point types in the Atacama Des- Conservation of Cultural Material 6(l), 36-42.
ert. Only the (extraordinarily early determi- Flint, R. F. (1971). “Glacial and Quatemary Geolo-
nation of lo,3101 B.C. (89-l 17 from PN 99), gy.” Wiley, New York.
which was associated with early Archaic Fox, A. N., and Strecker, M. R. (1991). Pleistocene
and modern snowline trends and controls of moun-
triangular points, is seriously out of line.
tain glaciation, northern Sierras Pampeanas-
Even if human beings were present in Southern Puna; Argentine Andes (24” to 28” S lati-
South America at that time, the high- tude, 65” to 69” W longitude). Bamberger Geogra-
altitude locale: (3580 m) was probably either phische Schriften 10.
exceedingly cold, barren, and arid or quite Graf, K. (1981). Zum Hohenverlauf der Subnivalstufe
in den Tropischen Anden, insbesondere in Bolivien
possibly under the waters of a higher La-
und Ecuador. Zeitschriff fiir Geomorphologie 37,
guna de Pajonales. l-24.
What, then, is the explanation for the ex- Johnson, A. M. (1976). The climate of Peru, Bolivia,
cessively late date at PN 99? One possibil- and Ecuador. In “World Survey of Climatology”
ity is that we have selected the wrong tem- (W. Schwerdtfeger, Ed.), Vol. 12, pp. 147-218.
Elsevier. New York.
perature cells from which to extrapolate the Lynch, T. F. (1984). The Salar de Punta Negra: Late
EHTs for the sites that did not have on-site and postglacial climate change, water budgets, and
temperature controls. Stevenson at first settlement around a former freshwater lake. Amer-
was inclined 1.0 average the results from PN ican Quaternury Association Programs and Ab-
124 1.yNC.H AND Sl EVENSON

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de 10s sitio\ de Meniques. In “Homena.je al Dr.
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tlement around the late-Glacial laguna dc Puma 65-70. Universidad del Norte Antofaga\ta.
Negra. Northern Chile: The preliminary result\. Rudloff. W. (19X1 1. “World-Climate\.” Stuttgart.
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Michels, J.. and Bebrich. C. (1971). Obsidian hydra- I IO-I 17.
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Niemeyer. H.. and Schiappacasse. V. (1976). Los Trembour. F. W.. Friedman, I., Jurceka. F. J.. and
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