8 Extraction, Reduction, and Production at a Late Paleoindian Chert Quarry in Eastern Québec
This paper describes how the geological characteristics of a chert member or outcrop articulate with the reduction sequence or chaîne opératoire at two prehistoric chert quarries. It demonstrates that the formal aspects of Late Paleoindian stone tool technology are best understood within the context of local geology and the constraints posed by the raw material that control most, but not all, dimensions of extraction and initial reduction. The quarry and habitation/workshop sites described are located in the small village of La Martre on the north shore of the Gaspé Peninsula, Quebec, Canada (Fig. 8.1). All of the sites date to
Chapitre, 2010