Secondary Raw Material Sources of Pedernal Chert in the Albuquerque Basin, New Mexico

Abstract

Prehistoric quarries targeted primary outcrops of Pedernal chert at Cerro Pedernal and San Pedro Peaks in north-central New Mexico. A long-standing tradition of secondary-source Pedernal chert use is also evident throughout the archaeological record of the Albuquerque Basin. Santa Fe Group gravels distributed across the basin contain abundant recycled Pedernal chert clasts that provide an important locally available source of this lithic raw material. LA-ICP-MS analysis of Pedernal chert collected from primary sources, Santa Fe Group gravels, and Pedernal chert artifacts from the basin revealed no significant chemical differences among these materials. Pedernal chert is most often associated with its primary source at Cerro Pedernal; however, geologic evidence reveals that recycled Pedernal chert clasts within Albuquerque Basin gravel deposits most likely originated from outcrops along the San Pedro–Sierra Nacimiento range. Size distributions among Pedernal chert gravels found within differing portions of the Albuquerque Basin present specific limitations on lithic reduction strategies. As such, regional settlement distributions and lithic assemblage variability reflect patterned variation in the use of these secondary deposits through time.