Lithic Sources in Wyoming's Upper Green River Basin

Abstract

Chert, quartzite, and steatite source areas have been documented in the Upper Green River Basin of western Wyoming. Riparian processes and glacial action have transported materials and modified the distributions of some deposits, producing a range of primary ( in situ geological strata) and secondary (re-deposited) source areas that were popular at different times. The results of characterization methods used to identify local and non-local (e.g., obsidian and ignimbrite) lithic raw materials in the region are summarized in order to discuss native mobility, exchange, social interaction, and resistance strategies to colonization.