First characterization of obsidian from Colombian and Ecuadorian sources using ICP-AES and ICP-MS

Ludovic Bellot-Gurlet (1) , Olivier Dorighel (1, 2) , Gérard Poupeau (1) , Francine Keller (1) , Rosa B. Scorzelli (3)

1 LGCA - Laboratoire de Géodynamique des Chaines Alpines
2 UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
3 CBPF - Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas

41 obsidian from geological sources of SW Colombia and Ecuador were analysed by ICP-AES and ICP-MS to contribute to the build-up of a database for obsidian provenience studies. It is shown that obsidians from the Colombian Paletara caldera (Río Hondo and Río Granates compositional groups), the Ecuadorian sierra de Guamaní (Mullumica/Callejones and Quiscatola/Yanaurcu groups) and North Cotopaxi volcano (Quebrada Colorada group) can be easily distinguished from each other. It is also shown that obsidians with a given chemical composition may be found over a large distance, up to >100 km from volcanic structures (e. g. from ignimbrites to calites in NW of Paletara caldera).

Domaines: Chimie analytique; Archéologie et Préhistoire

Ludovic Bellot-Gurlet, Olivier Dorighel, Gérard Poupeau, Francine Keller, Rosa B. Scorzelli. First characterization of obsidian from Colombian and Ecuadorian sources using ICP-AES and ICP-MS. BAR Archaeolingua Central European Series, 2002, 1, pp.677-684. ⟨hal-01832835⟩