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Olieboomspoort lithic raw material sourcing

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ProposalDescription: 

Olieboomspoort is a rock shelter in the Waterberg Mountains of Limpopo Province, South Africa. The site preserves thick Middle Stone Age (MSA) deposits, which contain abundant fossils, ochre pieces and lithic artefacts. The lithic assemblage offers the possibility to explore technological choices and exploitation of raw materials by MSA groups, as well as to investigate their mobility patterns and use of local resources. We intend to subject the samples to Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry and X-ray Fluorescent Spectrometry to characterize the petrography of the artefacts. This will be coupled with geological prospection and petrographic analysis around the site to identify possible sources of raw material.

Expanded_Motivation: 

Sample We apply for a permit to perform geochemical and petrographic analyses of 38 unretouched lithic artefacts (flakes) collected during our 2018 and 2019 excavation from the Middle Stone Age deposits at Olieboomspoort. The analytical work will be conducted by Dineo Masia for her masters project at the Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, under the supervision of Dr. Paloma de la Peña (co-PI on the Olieboomspoort excavation project, SAHRA permit 2799). The goals are to (1) describe and identify the raw materials; (2) compare the results with surrounding outcrops in order to identify possible sources of raw materials exploited during the Middle Stone Age. Macroscopic analysis The macroscopic analysis entails the use of a binocular microscope and hand lens. Macroscopic properties such as textures, colour, and crystal size will be analysed in order to characterize the samples into rock types. Thin section analysis The analysis is destructive because it includes slicing the artefacts to produce thin sections. The thin sections will be produced to determine the petrographic and textural properties, as well as geochemistry of the rocks used by the inhabitants of Olieboomspoort to produce flakes and tools. Thin section analysis provides an unbiased estimate of mineral proportion and composition due to the random choosing of the cut section. It provides the most accurate petrographic information in primary analysis (Andrefsky, 1998). This is essential because modal abundance estimates are of central importance in petrography (Chaves, 1949). It allows one to investigate the mineralogy of a sample under great magnification through both plane polarised light as well as cross polarised light depending on the orientation of the crystals. This light travels through the thin section and is shown through the eyepiece of the microscope. This technique will aid in the classification of lithics and outcrop samples. The lithic specimens will be taken to the School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, which hosts the appropriate equipment to cut, crush and polish to produce thin sections. Experienced technicians from the School of Geosciences will handle the production of the thin sections. The remaining portion of the lithic artefacts, after the slicing for thin sections, will be used for X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry analyses, to produce elemental and chemical results. A similar process will take place for the classification of outcrop samples once they have been collected from the sites. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICPMS) is a highly sensitive hetero- element detection method and process used to identify metals even at very low concentrations. The reliability of this analysis lies in its ability to tolerate salts, to detect elements at low detection limits, and to detect multi-element isotopes at high spectral resolutions (10000). This advanced method will contribute to this project in a way that XRF may not be able to in that its sensitivity will allow the detection of REEs and trace elements (highly variable) in material with little major element variability such as in quartzites. This will aid in coupling the lithics to specific outcrop samples based on minute elemental differences and similarities. The ICPMS analysis occurs at intense temperatures (of approximately 5500˚C) that material cannot withstand which makes it the most versatile element ioniser and atomiser available (Ammann, 2007). In order for detection to occur, an ICP source changes the atoms of a said element into ions through several steps. These steps include the conversion of the sample studied into an aerosol of which only fine droplets of the converted sample are carried through the central channel of a high temperature Argon plasma (all bonds are broken in a plasma and this allows for analysis of the total content of the sample) (Amman, 2007). This is followed by the drying, analysing and ionising of the droplets, creating positively charged, high energy ions which ultimately pass through a mass analyser for detection (www.agilent.com). X-Ray Fluorescent spectrometry The use of X-Ray Fluorescent (XRF) spectrometry is a type of geochemical analysis that measures the amount of radiation (fluorescent x-rays) that is absorbed and emitted by the minerals in a sample. XRF major element analysis is meant to aid in the rock identification of the sample (especially fine-grained samples like those of basalt). This allows it to provide information on the elemental nature of the sample as well as the proportions thereof. The types of XRF analyses that will be considered in this project are major element analysis as well as trace element analysis. The former looks at the general composition of the rock and aids in basic identification whereas the latter looks at the minute trace elements found in the rock, which will help identify the specific source of the lithic tool.

ApplicationDate: 

Wednesday, December 2, 2020 - 11:04

CaseID: 

15877

OtherReferences: 

ReferenceList: 

CitationReferenceType
Andrefsky, W. 1998. Lithics: macroscopic approaches to analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Andrefsky, W. 1998. Lithics: macroscopic approaches to analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chaves, F. 1949. A simple point-counter for thin section analyses. American Mineralogy 134:1-11.
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