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Systematic sampling of quartzites in sourcing analysis: intra-outcrop variability at Naibor Soit, Tanzania (part I)

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Abstract

Despite the common exploitation of quartzites as raw materials during the African Stone Age, petrographic and geochemical characterization studies have been rarely undertaken. The Naibor Soit outcrop at Oldupai Gorge (Tanzania), considered the main source for quartzite procurement in the area, probably represents the exception to this analytical scarcity. Previous studies have determined variability among quartzites and the existence of singular mineral assemblages and geochemical compositions. In this study, we present the first systematic survey and EDXRF characterization of 86 samples from the two inselbergs that conform Naibor Soit. Samples are classified into nine macroscopic varieties and are mineralogically composed of quartz, muscovite, occasional hematite, rutile, magnetite, anhydrite, and fuchsite. Geochemical analyses, which include previously published data, confirm the existence of inter-/intra-outcrop variability and suggest compositional similarities among some areas of both inselbergs. Our study contributes compositional data and elevated predictive values for future archeological sourcing studies at Oldupai. Our results emphasize the necessity of systematic surveying and sampling to fully understand raw material variability and the factors that may have influenced their selection and exploitation.

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Acknowledgements

The Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology authorized this work under permit no. 2018-112-NA-2018-36. The Tanzanian Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, through its Antiquities Division, granted us permission to carry out this work (14/2017/2018), and the authorities at the Ngorongoro Conservation Area allowed us to enter the protected area (BE.504/620/01/53). The export license for the Materials presented in this study were obtained from the Antiquities Division (EA.150/297/01: 5/2018) and the Tanzanian Executive Secretary from the Mining Commission (00001258). The McMaster Archeological XRF Lab (directed by TC) was funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The SDS project acknowledges the essential contributions by the Maasai communities at Oldupai Gorge concerning the knowledge presented herein, and all the comments and suggestions by the reviewers and editor which improved our study.

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This work was supported by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Partnership Grant Program no. 895-2016-1017.

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Correspondence to María Soto or Julio Mercader.

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Soto, M., Favreau, J., Campeau, K. et al. Systematic sampling of quartzites in sourcing analysis: intra-outcrop variability at Naibor Soit, Tanzania (part I). Archaeol Anthropol Sci 12, 100 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12520-020-01054-w

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