Broadening Horizons 3. Conference of Young Researchers - Khalili ...

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Broadening Horizons 3 F. Borrell, M. Bouso, A. Gómez, C. Tornero & O. Vicente (eds.) Figure 8: Large flat nodule found at the Eocene outcrops (F3) in the Douara Basin. 4. Flint petrography Prior .to .this .study, .some .of .the .geological .and .petrographic .characteristics .of .Syrian . flints .were .described .by .several .researchers .(Delaune-Mayère .1978; .Saito, .Tiba .1978; . Diethelm .1995; .Krasheninnikov .et .al . .1996; .Julig .et .al . .2007; .Long, .Julig .2007) . . These .studies .concluded .that .flint .was .locally .abundant .in .two .main .strata .in .the .central .Syrian .Desert: .late .Cretaceous .(late .Campanian .to .early .Maastrichtian) .and .middle .Paleogene .(Eocene, .Ypresian) .age .(fig . .9) . . Both .the .Cretaceous .(R’Mah) .flint .and .the .Eocene .(Arak) .flint .lacked .abundant . clay .minerals .and .iron .oxides . .The .R’Mah .flint .tended .to .be .light .grey .to .brownish . grey .in .colour . .It .can .be .highly .fractured .with .irregular .or .poorly .developed .conchoidal .fractures .and .typically .contains .no .fossils .(Diethelm .1995; .Long, .Julig .2007) . .On . the .other .hand, .flints .from .the .Eocene/Ypresian .strata .of .the .Arak .Flint .horizon .have . a .dense .and .subvitreous .appearance .and .are .predominantly .light .brown .to .brown, . with .darker .brown .and .black .colours .present .only .in .the .thicker .nodules .(Saito, .Tiba . 1978) . .The .Arak .Flint .horizon .flints .are .rarely .fractured .and .have .excellent .conchoidal .fractures . .Previous .petrographic .studies .of .Arak .Flint .have .identified .a .series .of . characteristic .microscopic .features . .Thin .sections .displayed .abundant .pseudomorphs . 001-352 Broadening horizons.indd 93 17/07/2012 16:38:54 93
94 Ferran Borrell and Oriol Vicente Sourcing the flint raw materials found at the Neolithic complex of Mamarrul Nasr (Douara Basin, Syria) Figure 9: Geological map of central Syria (from Julig et al. 2007). after .foraminifera, .as .well .as .sponge .spicules .and .scattered .pseudomorphs .of .carbonate .grains . .Clear .chalcedonic .quartz .appeared .to .have .infilled .pore-spaces .in .the .interiors . of . foraminifera, . prior . to . the . replacement . of . the . tests . with . cryptocrystalline . quartz .(Saito, .Tiba .1978) . .Other .petrographic .analyses .of .the .Arak .Flint .horizon .indicated . that . they . were . replacement . flints . that . contained . pseudomorphs . and . foraminifera .(Long, .Julig .2007), .which .were .partly .recrystallised .with .microcrystalline . quartz .fill . .Most .of .the .samples .examined .were .massive .or .weakly .stratified . Representative .geological .samples .were .collected .during .the .field .survey .from .the . three .outcrops .identified .(F1, .F2 .and .F3) .and .archaeological .samples .from .Mamarrul . Nasr .2 . .A .total .of .15 .thin .sections .have .been .analyzed, .including .nine .from .Mamarrul . Nasr .2 .and .six .from .outcrops .F1 .and .F2 .(fig . .10, .11) . .Macroscopically, .all .the .flints . were .predominantly .light .brown .to .brown, .with .grey .shaded .areas .caused .by .carbonaceous .matter . .The .dark .brown .colour .is .commonly .due .to .disseminated .organic .material . .Bedding .was .often .observed .and .appears .to .be .due .to .alternating .layers .with . differing .amounts .of .carbonate .grains . .All .samples .examined .represent .replacement . flints .from .an .original .limestone .composed .by .intrabasinal .grains .with .a .packstone . depositional .texture, .as .reported .by .other .authors .(Dunham .1962) . .Thin .sections . have .enabled .the .identification .of .pseudomorphs .after .foraminifera .as .well .as .other . abundant .unidentified .carbonate .grains . .In .the .samples, .chalcedonic .and .microcrys- 001-352 Broadening horizons.indd 94 17/07/2012 16:38:54
Page 1 and 2: Ferran Borrell Tena, Mònica Bouso
Page 3 and 4: Summary Broadening Horizons 3 F. Bo
Page 5 and 6: Broadening Horizons 3 F. Borrell, M
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Broadening Horizons 3. Conference of Young Researchers - Khalili ...

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