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A view of Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon, from the mesa above the ruins. A great spot for a little field work.

Lab News

WHAT'S NEW | PRICES | MEET THE SPECTROMETERS | FREE XRF

WHAT'S NEW?
THE OBSIDIAN HYDRATION LAB REOPENED ON APRIL 1, 2009

This isn't exactly recent news but we inadvertantly spread some confusion when we put the hydration lab in stasis a couple of years ago. Not quite a year after we closed the obsidian hydration laboratory in 2008, we decided to permanently reopen it once again and are accepting new obsidian hydration analysis projects.

Why the change of heart? Two major reasons:

  1. We realized that the obsidian analysis services that we provide (XRF and OH analysis) work very well together and that it was simply awkward and time-consuming to have to forward obsidian samples after XRF analysis to another laboratory for hydration analysis. To our knowledge, we're the only commercial lab on the planet that can provide both services in one location and it made a lot of sense to once again reunite them here in Corvallis.

  2. We arrived at the decision in 2008 to close the hydration lab so that we could devote more time to provide online support for our provenance-related obsidian and fine-grained volcanic (FGV) materials research. For years, we have been planning to produce a variety of maps and documents related to this research and were simply unable to find the time. Since 2008, we've been able to make considerably more headway than anticipated and it was clear that we would soon be in a position to either expand to some new services or to continue with a previous one. We've continued to keep the hydration laboratory busy with various lab research projects and the decision to open it for commercial projects again was an easy one.

Thanks for your patience and your encouragement for us to restart the hydration lab. We look forward to providing you once again with high-quality and timely information for your archaeological projects.

TINKERING UNDER THE HOOD AT THE LAB WEBSITES

We've been rechanneling considerable time and energy lately towards the two lab websites at www.obsidianlab.com and www.sourcecatalog.com. Here's a short list on what we've recently completed, are currently working on, or are planning for the near future:

www.obsidianlab.com
  • Considerable expansion of our collection of downloadable obsidian-related articles, reports, theses, and dissertations.
  • Additional information about the theory and methods involved in the XRF and hydration analysis of artifacts.
  • More information about FGV (fine-grained volcanics) sources and analytical methods.
  • A library of obsidian-related images that you can use.
  • An updated and comprehensive list of Northwest Research and BioSystems Analysis obsidian lab reports produced since 1992.
  • Descriptive terminology for use with obsidian.
  • Updated GIS data that can be used for map production.
  • Expanded descriptions and datasets for lab research projects.
  • Geochemical datasets for obsidian sources.
  • XRF and hydration lab tour - you'll be able to see exctly what we do to your artifacts.
www.sourcecatalog.com
  • Downloadable overall state reference list is now in Acrobat format.
  • Obsidian source maps for each state. Click HERE to see how we're progressing.
  • Selected regional obsidian source maps (click HERE for a preview).
  • Canadian sources in the catalog.
  • World obsidian source catalog will be updated (through the IAOS).
  • We'll begin to gradually fill in the state lists with more detailed descriptions about the individual sources.
  • We're also looking at Google Earth and Google Maps to see how we might best use these resources.

And finally, a modest Web 2.0 presence

Visit the lab on YouTube Visit the lab on Facebook Source and lab info on Blogger Frequently-asked lab questions on Blogger
  • Lab and Source Blog (Obsidian and FGV source revelations, XRF details)
  • Frequently-Asked Questions Blog (FAQ)
  • Facebook (Science meets social networking)
  • Twitter? Looking for labtweets? Probably not going to happen in the near future unless we can think of a good use for it!
  • YouTube (A modest collection of mercifully-short videos)
Stay tuned!
THE LATEST PRICES
Prices last crept up on January 1, 2005 and we guarantee that they will stay the same through at least 2010. You can download the latest price list and submission forms as Adobe Acrobat documents:

Click here to download the Acrobat version (73K) <--- 2010 Price Sheet
Click here to download the Acrobat version (69K) <--- 2010 Sample Submission Form
MEET THE LAB XRF SPECTROMETERS
The X-rays are currently on

Our ThermoNoran QuanX EC energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (the direct descendant of our Spectrace 5000 instrument) is now installed at the lab and we're currently testing the instrument and experimenting with some new analytical procedures.

Spectrace 5000 EDXRF spectrometer ThermoNoran QuanX EDXRF spectrometer

Above: Left - Flo, our venerable Spectrace 5000 EDXRF spectrometer. Right - Ed, our QuanX EC EDXRF spectrometer.
Below: Spectra produced during analysis of obsidian sample by Ed.

Ed shows his stuff

Calibration curves for the Spectrace 5000

Above: Calibration curves used by Flo to generate quantitative analyses of samples.
Yes, the software is running on an MS-DOS PC, perhaps the most reliable computer in the lab!
FREE XRF!?
In our quest to compile as complete a reference database of obsidian sources as possible, we offer free XRF analyses of obsidian source material. Click HERE for more information. We are also interested in the collaborative research of obsidian sources or artifacts and are involved in several ongoing projects ranging from the Oregon Coast to the Philippines. Check the RESEARCH page to see what we're up to.

LOOKING FOR THE FIELD WORK SECTION? IT'S MOVED TO HERE

Back to the Obsidian Lab Home Page

Last Updated: 07/23/2010
Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory