Comparison and contrast between XRF and NAA: Used for characterization of obsidian sources in central Mexico

Abstract

Chemical analysis of the trace elements in the natural volcanic glass obsidian is a proven analytical tool used around the world to conduct provenance investigations on obsidian artifacts. Studies of obsidian artifacts are used to investigate long-distance exchange, study prehistoric migration patterns, identify the preferred sources of raw materials, detect political boundaries, show differential access to raw material sources for elites vs. non-elites, etc. Two of the most successful methods used to analyze obsidian raw materials and artifacts are neutron activation analysis (NAA) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. In this chapter, both methods are described and compared. An application of both NAA and XRF to conduct a comprehensive characterization of the obsidian sources in central Mexico is presented. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.