Oregon: Buck Spring

Locations of outcrops of obsidian correlated with the Buck Spring source

Obsidian zone in the same spherulitic tuffs

Left: Caves weathered in in an outcrop of Rattlesnake Formation ashflow tuffs in the Jackass Creek drainage south of Harney Lake.
Right: Obsidian zone in the same spherulitic tuffs - similar irregularly shaped nodules of geochemically-variable glass are often found
in association with these geographically widespread tuffs.

NAME BUCK SPRING

LOCATION Harney County, Oregon.

CHEMICAL
SOURCE(S) Buck Spring.

DESCRIPTION Obsidian nodules ranging from good to marginal quality are found associated with the Rattlesnake Tuff (formerly known as the Danforth Formation), an ashflow deposit covering at least 9000 km² in Harney County, southeastern Oregon (Davenport 1970; Parker 1974; Piper et al. 1939; Streck 1994; Streck and Grunder 1995, 1997; Streck et al. 1999) (see map below). Geologic outcrops and secondary deposits of obsidian nodules associated with this formation have been found at many locations in the Ochoco National Forest northwest of Burns and the western Harney-Malheur Basin and have also been found at outcrops located as far west as the Glass Buttes vicinity and as far southwest as the northern Warner Valley. The obsidian was first recognized at the Buck Spring locale in the Ochoco National Forest. Trace element analysis of a large number of geologic samples indicates that this source exhibits an unusually large range of geochemical variability (Ambroz 1997; Unpublished Research Results, Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory).
Despite the widespread geographic occurrence of glass, prehistoric use appears to have been relatively limited and is restricted almost entirely to the Harney-Malheur Basin and Ochoco National Forest regions (Armitage 1995; Hughes 1995b; Skinner and Davis 1998).

Rattlesnake Formation tuffs from Streck and Grunder (1997).

Distribution map (the darkest areas north and south of Burns) of Rattlesnake Formation tuffs (from Streck and Grunder 1997).
Obsidian correlated with the Buck Spring source is found at many of these locations.

REFERENCES Ambroz 1997
Armitage 1995
Davenport 1970
Hughes 1995b
Parker 1974
Piper et al. 1939
Skinner and Davis 1998
Streck 1994
Streck and Grunder 1995, 1997
Streck et al. 1999

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Last Updated: 02/11/2004

Compiled by Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory

NAME	BUCK SPRING
LOCATION	Harney County, Oregon.
CHEMICAL SOURCE(S)	Buck Spring.
DESCRIPTION	Obsidian nodules ranging from good to marginal quality are found associated with the Rattlesnake Tuff (formerly known as the Danforth Formation), an ashflow deposit covering at least 9000 km² in Harney County, southeastern Oregon (Davenport 1970; Parker 1974; Piper et al. 1939; Streck 1994; Streck and Grunder 1995, 1997; Streck et al. 1999) (see map below). Geologic outcrops and secondary deposits of obsidian nodules associated with this formation have been found at many locations in the Ochoco National Forest northwest of Burns and the western Harney-Malheur Basin and have also been found at outcrops located as far west as the Glass Buttes vicinity and as far southwest as the northern Warner Valley. The obsidian was first recognized at the Buck Spring locale in the Ochoco National Forest. Trace element analysis of a large number of geologic samples indicates that this source exhibits an unusually large range of geochemical variability (Ambroz 1997; Unpublished Research Results, Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory). Despite the widespread geographic occurrence of glass, prehistoric use appears to have been relatively limited and is restricted almost entirely to the Harney-Malheur Basin and Ochoco National Forest regions (Armitage 1995; Hughes 1995b; Skinner and Davis 1998). Distribution map (the darkest areas north and south of Burns) of Rattlesnake Formation tuffs (from Streck and Grunder 1997). Obsidian correlated with the Buck Spring source is found at many of these locations.
REFERENCES	Ambroz 1997 Armitage 1995 Davenport 1970 Hughes 1995b Parker 1974 Piper et al. 1939 Skinner and Davis 1998 Streck 1994 Streck and Grunder 1995, 1997 Streck et al. 1999
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