Stone tools, Stone quarries, and tracing

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Stone tools, Stone quarries, and tracing spheres
of influence across the Pacific
By John M. Sinton, Dept. of Geology Geophysics
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Rock sections viewed through the microscope
Chemical analyses of rocks
1986-602 adze Kauai adze C-159
SiO2 46.24 46.12 45.91
TiO2 3.11 3.33 3.02
Al2O3 16.72 16.67 16.63
FeO 11.72 11.93 12.23
MnO 0.23 0.22 0.23
MgO 4.70 4.76 4.14
CaO 8.11 8.39 8.10
Na2O 4.95 5.01 5.44
K2O 1.60 1.64 1.84
P2O5 2.50 2.49 2.43
Sum 99.89 100.57 99.97
LOI 2.23 1.88 1.10
1986-602 adze (large adze found in Honolulu
Harbor)
apatite crystals
C-159 (sample collected by G. A. Macdonald from
Puu Papai, Molokai
total Fe as FeO LOI loss on ignition at 900C
Puu Papai, E. Molokai
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(pre-contact) Polynesian Stone Tools
Figures from Encyclopédie de la Polynésie
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Different stones for different uses

• Vesicular pahoehoe lava makes a lousy adze, but
  an excellent grinding or
• polishing stone
• Coarse-grained rocks make lousy adzes, but
  excellent sinkers and lures
• Glass is best for cutters and scrapers (but hard
  to find in large pieces)

Good Adze Source Rocks
1. Fine-grained, equigranular is ideal need
to be able to fabricate and hold a fine edge
without breaking 2. Minimum vesicularity aa
flow interiors, dikes, many massive alkalic
lavas 3. Not very porphyritic (crystals are
defects in rock structure) most postshield
alkalic rocks are aphyric, so are many shield
lavas 4. Fractures previously fractured
outcrops save labor columnar jointed lavas
and dikes were widely exploited sources
unusual cooling of Mauna Kea lava that ponded
against ice.
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Archeologists use artifacts to make
interpretations about spheres of influence
Weisler, 1998
This map shows some known and suspected
interactions based on ethnohistoric sources and
documented transfers of artifacts (mainly lithic)
These interpretations are largely based on
macroscopic appearance or stylistic similarities
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The Role of Geochemistry and Petrology
Any rock can be described in terms
of Texture Mineralogy Chemical Composition
Although Polynesians largely selected rocks based
on physical properties (texture and fracture
characteristics), the best method for sourcing
artifacts is through the use of quantitative
geochemical data.
Ideal matches of artifacts to sources The
artifact has the same texture, mineralogy and
chemical composition within uncertainties to a
known source (outcrop, volcano, island)
Chemical data can be fully quantitative, allowing
for realistic uncertainty estimates to be
determined.
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Sources of Uncertainty
Analytical Uncertainty
Quarry Variability
Different analytical methods have different
inherent errors Two critical analytical issues
are precision (reproducibility) and accuracy
(correctness)
How variable is the actual source area? This can
only be determined from dedicated investigations
of specific quarries
Chemical Data for Eiao Adze Quarry Average of 17
analyses 1 standard deviation
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Known Polynesian Adze Quarries (not including New
Zealand)
Hawaii 14 Samoa (Tutuila) 4 Cook Is.
4 Austral Is. 3 Pitcairn 2 Rapa Nui
5 Marquesas 4 Society Is. 5
By far the three biggest (export) quarries are
Mauna Kea Tataga matau (Samoa) Eiao (N. Marquesas)
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Quarry Types (from a geological perspective)

• Outcrops
• Columnar lavas (Tahiti)
• Dikes (Tahiti and elsewhere - see also residual
  dike rock)
• Massive lava flows (W. Molokai, Kailua,
  Kahoolawe, Haleakala, Rurutu)
• Massive flow chilled against ice (Mauna Kea)

• Residual Deposits
• Dike boulders in streams on Raiatea
• Major quarry of dike rocks in alluvial (stream)
  deposit on Eiao, N. Marquesas

Columnar jointed lava, East Maui
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Dike Quarry Papeenoo Valley, Tahiti
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Mauna Kea Adze Quarry
Glacially chilled hawaiite lava flow
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Eiao, N. Marquesas
Selective mining of dike rocks in stream deposit
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Hawaiian Sources
Large squares denote documented quarries small
squares are other sources
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Evidence of Interaction
Major interaction within archipelagos limited
interaction between archipelagos

1. Tataga-matau adzes in N. Cook Is.
2. Tataga-matau maybe in Line Is.
3. Eiao throughout Marquesas
4. Eiao on Moorea
5. Eiao on Mangareva (Gambier)
6. Puu Waawaa obsidian in Halawa (Oahu)
7. Puu Moiwi (Kahoolawe) adze on Kauai
8. Mauna Kea adze on Oahu
9. Molokai adze on Oahu and KauaI
10. Pitcairn obsidian on Henderson atoll

Dont know - Process of transfer (commercial
enterprise, bartar, exchange) - Organizational
system for quarries (ownership if any, division
of labor)
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Eiao An important adze quarry in the Northern
Marquesas
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(No Transcript)
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Archeological Investigations at Hanamiai,
Tahuata B. Rolett, Univ. Hawaii, Dept.
Anthropology
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Evidence for major breakdown in the system of
interaction 1450 A.D.