RIMAPS and Variogram analysis of Microwear Traces in Experimental Stone Tools

FAVRET, E., FUENTES, N. AND ALVAREZ, M.

MICROSCOPY & MICROANALYSIS

Cambridge University Press

Lugar: New York, USA; Año: 2004 vol. 10 p. 968 - 969

1431-9276

In archaeology, one way of suggesting what a particular kind of prehistoric tool was used for is to compare the visible and microscopic wear traces on it with those on similar tools made and experimentally used by contemporary researchers. It is known that different uses of a tool leave different wear marks on the surface in contact with the working material. In the present paper, we analyze the micropolishes produced experimentally on a stone (rhyolite) tool by scraping it on wood and bone, by using RIMAPS (Rotated Image with Maximum Average Power Spectrum) and Variogram techniques. RIMAPS can determine orientation and characteristics of the topographic pattern on the surface. Variogram analysis is based on a log-log representation of the mathematical variance of surface heights versus the observed area on the studied surface. Intersections of the different slopes that approximate parts of the curve in the resulting plot give the characteristic scale lengths that are present on the surface.