Archaeological investigations on the Buckboard Mesa Road Project
In 1986, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) conducted an archaeological reconnaissance of a new alignment for the Buckboard Mesa Road on the Nevada Test Site for the Department of Energy (DOE). During this reconnaissance, several archaeological sites of National Register quality were discovered and recorded including a large quarry, site 26Ny4892, and a smaller lithic scatter, site 26Ny4894. Analysis of the debitage at 26Ny4892 indicates that this area was used primarily as a quarry for relatively small cobbles of obsidian found in the alluvium. Lithic reduction techniques used here are designed for efficiently reducing small pieces of toolstone and are oriented towards producing flake blanks from small cores and bifacially reducing exhausted cores. Projectile point cross references indicate that the area has seen at least casual use for about 10,000 years and more sustained use for the last 3,000 years. Initial obsidian hydration measurements indicate sustained use of the quarry for about the last 3,000 years although the loci of activities appear to change over time. Based on this study, the DRI recommends that quarrying activities in the area of 26Ny4892 are sufficiently sampled and that additional investigations into that aspect of prehistoric activity in the area are not necessary. This does not apply to other aspects of prehistoric use. DRI recommends that preconstruction surveys continue to identify nonquarrying, prehistoric utilization of the area. With the increased traffic on the Buckboard Mesa Road, there is a greater potential for vandalism to sites of National Register-quality located near the road. The DRI recommends that during the orientation briefing the workers at the Test Site be educated about the importance of cultural resources and the need for their protection. 202 refs., 41 figs., 52 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Nevada Univ., Las Vegas, NV (United States). Desert Research Inst.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC08-85NV10384
- OSTI ID:
- 5085653
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/NV/10384-69; ON: DE92001765
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
The archaeology of drill hole U20bc, Nevada Test Site, Nye County, Nevada
Lithic technology studies: Archaeological research at drill hole U19ba, Nye County, Nevada
Related Subjects
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
AMERICAN INDIANS
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES
CULTURAL OBJECTS
NEVADA TEST SITE
ARCHAEOLOGY
GEOLOGY
ROADS
CONSTRUCTION
TEKTITES
SURFACE MINING
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS
DATA COMPILATION
GEOMORPHOLOGY
OPALS
PROGRESS REPORT
PROJECTILES
STRATIGRAPHY
TUFF
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
DOCUMENT TYPES
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INFORMATION
MINERALS
MINING
MINORITY GROUPS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
OXIDE MINERALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POPULATIONS
SILICA
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
540250* - Environment
Terrestrial- Site Resource & Use Studies- (1990-)
290200 - Energy Planning & Policy- Economics & Sociology