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Obsidian Subsource Identification in the S ierra de P achuca and O tumba Volcanic Regions, C entral M exico, by ICP ‐ MS and DBSCAN Statistical Analysis
Author(s) -
ArgoteEspino Denisse,
Solé Jesús,
LópezGarcía Pedro,
Sterpone Osvaldo
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
geoarchaeology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1520-6548
pISSN - 0883-6353
DOI - 10.1002/gea.21389
Subject(s) - dbscan , volcano , archaeology , statistical analysis , identification (biology) , geography , geology , cluster analysis , biology , botany , paleontology , computer science , statistics , canopy clustering algorithm , correlation clustering , mathematics , machine learning
O tumba and S ierra de P achuca obsidian deposits in C entral M exico have been important sources of raw material since pre‐ H ispanic times. Numerous archaeological investigations have suggested that the economical and political expansion of major M esoamerican societies were linked to the control of obsidian sources and distribution of quarried material. S ierra de P achuca contains several obsidian flows and numerous quarries throughout the region that were preferentially exploited by different cultures. The O tumba V olcanic C omplex has four important obsidian domes, but three of them have not been studied in detail. A geochemical characterization of subsources from the S ierra de P achuca and O tumba V olcanic C omplex is an important step toward future sourcing of obsidian artifacts that would help provide insight into spheres of influence and trade by past cultures in C entral M exico. Having this purpose in mind, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry ( ICP ‐ MS ) was used to analyze obsidian samples collected from five separated locations at S ierra de P achuca and four at O tumba, followed by statistical analysis (density‐based spatial clustering of applications with noise, DBSCAN ). We were able to distinguish three chemically distinctive subsources in S ierra de P achuca and three in O tumba. This study illustrates the importance of accurate characterization of obsidian raw material when attempting to define subsource usage.