Cation-ratio dating of petroglyphs using PIXE

David S. Whitley; Ronald Dorn

doi:10.1016/0168-583X(88)90302-3

Cation-ratio dating of petroglyphs using PIXE

David S. Whitley
, Ronald Dorn

Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, School of (SGSUP)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

A central problem in archaeological research has been the Chronometrie dating of petroglyphs (rock engravings). Recent improvements in the understanding of the chemistry of rock varnish (or patina) that develops on rock surfaces in arid regions has resulted in the development of a calibrated dating technique, cation-ratio (CR) dating. This is based on calibrating chemical changes in minor and major trace elements in the varnish over time. PIXE is used to determine the bulk chemical constituents of small samples of varnish mechanically removed from within petroglyphs. Recent applications in western North America have yielded petroglyph dates of great importance in understanding the origins of art and the antiquity of human settlement in the western hemisphere. In particular the CR dates on petroglyphs suggest that humans moved into the New World about 10 K yrs earlier than previously believed, and that the making of petroglyphs was one of the most ancient and long-lived cultural traditions in aboriginal North America.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	410-414
Number of pages	5
Journal	Nuclear Inst. and Methods in Physics Research, B
Volume	35
Issue number	3-4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-583X(88)90302-3
State	Published - Dec 2 1988

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Nuclear and High Energy Physics
Instrumentation

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10.1016/0168-583X(88)90302-3

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title = "Cation-ratio dating of petroglyphs using PIXE",

abstract = "A central problem in archaeological research has been the Chronometrie dating of petroglyphs (rock engravings). Recent improvements in the understanding of the chemistry of rock varnish (or patina) that develops on rock surfaces in arid regions has resulted in the development of a calibrated dating technique, cation-ratio (CR) dating. This is based on calibrating chemical changes in minor and major trace elements in the varnish over time. PIXE is used to determine the bulk chemical constituents of small samples of varnish mechanically removed from within petroglyphs. Recent applications in western North America have yielded petroglyph dates of great importance in understanding the origins of art and the antiquity of human settlement in the western hemisphere. In particular the CR dates on petroglyphs suggest that humans moved into the New World about 10 K yrs earlier than previously believed, and that the making of petroglyphs was one of the most ancient and long-lived cultural traditions in aboriginal North America.",

author = "Whitley, \{David S.\} and Ronald Dorn",

note = "Funding Information: Financial support was provided by NSF grant SES 86-01937.T his research could not have been conducted without the kind assistanceo f T.A. Cahill, B. Kusko, R, Eldred, D. Shadoan, T. Gill and the entire Air Quality Group at Cracker Nuclear Lab, U.C. Davis. We thank them for their aid in this study and our ongoing applications of CR dating. We thank the Commander, NWC China Lake, and W. Eckhardt for permission to take samples from the Coso petroglyphs; and H. Annegam, M. Tamers, W. Wolfi, D. Dorn, D. Tanner and T.K. Whitley for assistance.",

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N2 - A central problem in archaeological research has been the Chronometrie dating of petroglyphs (rock engravings). Recent improvements in the understanding of the chemistry of rock varnish (or patina) that develops on rock surfaces in arid regions has resulted in the development of a calibrated dating technique, cation-ratio (CR) dating. This is based on calibrating chemical changes in minor and major trace elements in the varnish over time. PIXE is used to determine the bulk chemical constituents of small samples of varnish mechanically removed from within petroglyphs. Recent applications in western North America have yielded petroglyph dates of great importance in understanding the origins of art and the antiquity of human settlement in the western hemisphere. In particular the CR dates on petroglyphs suggest that humans moved into the New World about 10 K yrs earlier than previously believed, and that the making of petroglyphs was one of the most ancient and long-lived cultural traditions in aboriginal North America.

AB - A central problem in archaeological research has been the Chronometrie dating of petroglyphs (rock engravings). Recent improvements in the understanding of the chemistry of rock varnish (or patina) that develops on rock surfaces in arid regions has resulted in the development of a calibrated dating technique, cation-ratio (CR) dating. This is based on calibrating chemical changes in minor and major trace elements in the varnish over time. PIXE is used to determine the bulk chemical constituents of small samples of varnish mechanically removed from within petroglyphs. Recent applications in western North America have yielded petroglyph dates of great importance in understanding the origins of art and the antiquity of human settlement in the western hemisphere. In particular the CR dates on petroglyphs suggest that humans moved into the New World about 10 K yrs earlier than previously believed, and that the making of petroglyphs was one of the most ancient and long-lived cultural traditions in aboriginal North America.

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Cation-ratio dating of petroglyphs using PIXE

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