Source location

Location of the Napa Valley source

NAME NAPA VALLEY
LOCATION Napa County, North Coast Ranges, central western California.
CHEMICAL
SOURCE(S) 		Napa Valley.
DESCRIPTION One of the most well-known prehistoric obsidian sources in central California, the Napa Valley source is located near the town of St. Helena. Also known as the Napa or Napa Glass Mountain source, the often dark and opaque glass from the this source was widely used during the prehistoric period. Obsidian artifacts from the Napa Valley source are found throughout central California’s Great Valley and are commonly identified in the western Sierra Nevada Mountains and along the central California coast. Artifacts from this source have been identified as far north as Modoc County, California.

Obsidian Hydration: Several different hydration rates have been proposed. Experimental evidence suggests that obsidian from this source hydrates at a slower rate than the nearby Borax Lake source.

REFERENCES Basgall 1993
Bouey and Basgall 1984
Ericson et al. 1976
Ericson 1981
Frederickson 1989
Heizer and Treganza 1944
Jackson 1974, 1986, 1989
Jackson and Ericson 1994
Meighan 1983
Origer 1987
Pastron and Walsh 1989
Psota 1994
Tremaine 1989, 1993
Tremaine and Fredrickson 1988
CREDITS --

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Last Updated: 08/12/2004 Compiled by Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory