Idaho National Laboratory Cultural Resource Management Plan

Research Topic: The Sources of Obsidian Used for Stone Tools. Determining the source of
the obsidian used for stone tool manufacture can provide insights into many of the other problem
domains. It is suggested (Binford 1979) that stone material is acquired while pursuing other resources,
especially food. This implies that the sources of the employed stone should reflect the subsistence round
(e.g., home range) of the people using those stone resources. If this is true, determining the source of the
stone materials will generate a “map” of the home range of the people utilizing those resources.
Determining the source of obsidian present at INL sites would provide information about the home range
of groups of all ages.
Research Question—What are the sources of obsidian exploited by INL occupants?
It is expected that the pattern of obsidian exploitation changed over time as subsistence patterns
changed, yet this is purely conjectural and INL sites can help determine if this expectation is true. It is
desirable to determine the source of obsidian from every INL site, especially those that have some
temporally diagnostic artifacts such as spear or arrow points or pottery.
Data Requirements: All INL sites that have obsidian artifacts.
Research Topic: The Age of Obsidian Tool Manufacture. Once the hydration rate is determined
for a particular obsidian source, that source can be dated by measuring the thickness of the hydration rind
and determining the temperature to which the specimen has been subjected. All flakes and tools can
potentially be dated to their time of manufacture. Therefore, all INL sites can potentially be dated to their
time of use. If this were accomplished, dramatic advances in understanding the prehistory of the upper
Snake River Basin would be achieved.
Research Question—Can we determine the age of obsidian tool manufacture of specimens
recovered from the surface of INL sites?
Artifacts recovered from the surface need to be correlated with their subsurface counterparts to
determine if the temperature variable is the same in the equation to determine age relative to the hydration
thickness.
Data Requirements: All INL sites with obsidian artifacts, especially those with alternate dating
potential (e.g., charcoal in fire hearths).
Research Design Summary
Numerous research questions were presented that address the research significance of the cultural
resources observed at INL. A common element is evident in the type of sites that can answer many of
those questions. That element concerns buried, intact deposits, especially those in the context of datable
materials (e.g., fire hearths containing charcoal). Therefore, any site that exhibits the potential for buried
deposits is, by law, potentially significant and must be protected or mitigated. Limited test excavations
can determine if there are buried cultural deposits and can determine the research potential, and hence,
legal status, of the site.
Other sites may also be significant under the law. Those containing artifacts indicating Paleo-Indian
occupation, for instance, will always require additional study before destruction. Sites dating to other time
periods may be similarly significant, such as sites with stemmed points located adjacent to playas.
The determination of site significance is a complex issue that does not have a formulaic answer. Any
site that can potentially answer a question of research interest is, by law, significant. All of the sites
determined to be in this category must be mitigated; this may involve further collections from the site, test
excavations, or complete excavation.
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