They Have a Rock That Bleeds: Sunrise Red Ochre and its Early Paleoindian Occurrence at the Hell Gap Site, Wyoming

Digging for the color of life: Paleoindian red ochre mining at the Powars II site, Platte County, Wyoming, U.S.A.

“…Samples of red ochre from Powars II were analyzed in a paper by Tankersley et al, addressing geochemical variation of red ochre on the Plains (see Tankersley et al, 1995). An interesting conclusion of Tankersley's analysis is that the red ochre found in the Paleoindian levels at the Hell Gap site, some 10 miles to the northeast of Powars II, sources geochemically to the ochre source at the Powars II site (see Tankersley et al, 1995:192).…”

Geochemical characterization of ochre from central coastal British Columbia, Canada

“…Erlandson et al (1999) were able to geochemically differentiate ochres from eight different locations in western North America using proton-induced X-ray emissions analysis (PIXE). A study by Tankersley et al (1995) showed that X-ray diffraction (XRD) could be used successfully to determine that ochre from the Hell Gap site in Wyoming was acquired from the Powars II ochre mine (see Stafford et al, 2003). Smith et al (1998) also demonstrated that it was possible to match archaeological ochres to geological outcrops using a combination of inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and SEM-EDS.…”

“…However, the nature of its acquisition is poorly understood. The elemental analysis of raw materials of all types is continually increasing in frequency and occurrence, and the analysis of ochre for the purpose of determining ancient resource use and trade and exchange practices is an area of growing interest (Manscalco, 1989;Popelka-Filcoff et al, 2005;Smith et al, 1998;Smith and Pell, 1997;Stafford et al, 2003;Tankersley et al, 1995). As this body of knowledge continues to expand it is apparent that a foundation of knowledge of ochre geochemistry and local geological conditions must be established to enable detailed interpretations of ochre-related practices.…”

Hematite mining in the ancient Americas: Mina Primavera, A 2,000 year old Peruvian mine

“…An example of a Nasca polychrome bowl recovered from excavations at Marcaya, a residential site located near Nasca, Peru. 27 1 cm very little is known about the acquisition of the minerals used to create these pigments and with some notable exceptions, 8,16 few accounts of the mining of iron oxides in the New World have been reported. This article reports the results of investigations at Mina Primavera, a prehispanic hematite mine in southern coastal Peru that was exploited extensively for 1,400 years by the Nasca, Wari, and later civilizations.…”