The use of NAA for Chemical characterization of Clay Sources Within an Archaeological Ceramic Study in the Chaschuil-Abaucán Region (Tinogasta, Catamarca, Argentina)

PLÁ, R., N. RATTO, M. MORENO, G. DE LA FUENTE Y M. ORGAZ

REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PESQUISA E DESENVOLVIMENTO

Comisión de Energía Nuclear Brasil

Lugar: Brasil; Año: 2002 vol. 4 p. 984 - 988

0104-7698

Application of Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) to provenience studies to archaeological ceramics involves the determination of clay sources used for their production. This work presents the study on raw materials and and its relation to sherd results, on samples from Argentine souther Puna using NAA. A hypothesis was stated that the Puna region of Chaschuil served as a corridor for the circulation of goods, energy, and information, interconnecting large areas and relating to facilities at the bottom of the valley, especially at the Bolsón of Fiambalá. Potential raw materials source locations were sampled both at Puna and valley, considering availability, plasticity, workability and textural fractions of the deposits. Factor analysis was used for evaluation of the results. The graphical representation of the first three factors showed a dense grouping of valley clays with Puna samples as outliers. Within the valley group, those clays from La Troya river appeared closely related to each other. XRD of these samples showed 100% good quality clays for ceramic manufacture and high presence of clay fraction (17-45% concentration values), with excellent properties regarding their plasticity and workability. The evaluation of a matrix composed of clay and sherd analytical results showed that sherds from valley area were manufactures with local raw materials that included the already samples sources and others still to be located; that most of Puna sherds were manufactured with raw materials from the valley area, mainly La Troya and that Puna sources of raw materials were not used in the manufacture of those sherds sampled at Puna sites.