CHARACTERIZATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF OBSIDIAN IN ALASKA

Obsidian, in prehistoric contexts, has proven an invaluable tool for t he Alaskan archaeologist. With appropriate controls, this widely trade d raw material can shed light on the ages of lithic sites, and can als o elucidate exchange networks. This paper reports ongoing work aimed a t delineating the kinds and distribution of obsidian as determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. Nearly 600 samples of obsidi an have been analyzed, with the result that approximately 40 discrete kinds have been identified, distributed over most of Alaska, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and northeast Siberia.