Chapter 39 Discriminating Among Volcanic Temper Sands in Prehistoric Potsherds of Pacific Oceania Using Heavy Minerals

摘要: Abstract Many volcanic sand tempers used for the fabrication of prehistoric ceramics in Pacific Oceania are beach placer sands with heavy mineral contents that reflect phenocryst mineralogy bedrock on islands where pottery was made. Island groups within region ceramic cultures extending from western Micronesia to Polynesia include hotspot, arc, postarc, and backarc geotectonic settings. The abundance opaque minerals is governed by intensity placering not diagnostic temper class, but differing proportions ferromagnesian silicate grains faithfully island provenance. Clinopyroxene most abundant non-opaque nearly all derivation. Hotspot marked relative olivine (>25%), which also occurs subordinate amounts selected arc postarc tempers. Hornblende accompanies clinopyroxene varying other tempers, orthopyroxene New Britain Tonga. Relative species Oceanian correlate nature restricted sources individual islands, serve as evidence origins wherever transported between islands.