LIMOLITES FROM SOUTHERN PATAGONIA (ARGENTINA): THEIR SOURCE AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL ARTIFACT DISTRIBUTIONS

BELARDI, J,B; CASSIODORO G.; GOÑI, R.; GLASCOCK, M; SUNICO, A

Congreso; Annual Meeting SAA; 2013

One important aspect to be known on hunter gatherer Patagonian archaeology is their mobility and interaction spheres, mainly along the Late Holocene. One way to approach this is tracing the distribution of lithic archaeological materials. Artifacts made on limolite (a sedimentological silicied rock) are found on the western strip of southern Patagonia. On the base of the high density of archaeological material and geomorphological studies the source and quarries of limolite were identified in the lake Cardiel. The geochemical study of samples from both the source and archaeological sites from several neighbour basins allowed to trace the use of this rock and to model its circulation. There is geochemical intrasource variability but it seems not be related to their fracture and quality properties. The archaeological spatial distribution indicates that limolite circulation has a southern vector and was incorporated from the beginning of the human occupations. From a geographical standing this is a marked difference when one compares to the distribution of the Pampa del Asador obsidian which shows a broader circulation pattern. This could be related to the greater availability of high quality rocks (obsidian and silex) northwards of the limolite source.