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Earth Notes: Paleontology and Archaeology

Projectile point from petrified wood
NPS - Petrified Forest National Park
Projectile point from petrified wood

Paleontology is the study of fossils in geologic settings that can date back hundreds of millions of years. Archaeology looks at human cultures over a much shorter time span. Though distinct disciplines, both use similar technologies and methods in their work, and show fascinating intersections.

National parks and monuments in the Southwest highlight this overlap. Recent inventories in about a dozen park collections revealed a long list of ways people modified the raw material of fossils--stone, bone, shell, and other traces of once-living organisms.

One of the most common were projectile points and tools chipped from colorful petrified wood—in fact researchers found abundant specimens using the trees-turned-to-stone. In another case, at Chaco Canyon, people even made tools from chunks of coal.

Occasionally, slabs of rock with preserved ancient animal tracks were incorporated as building blocks. More rare, but no less interesting, were delicate effigies and jewelry made from fossils. At Aztec Ruins National Monument in New Mexico, a shark tooth became a bead for a necklace. Unique materials not found locally were traded over long distances.

And parks known more for their spectacular scenery—like Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and Grand Canyon--also offer examples of this overlap.

Consultation with tribal members adds a deeper dimension, such as the = intangible values associated with these materials and their uses. Indigenous peoples recognize the importance of the objects, and the need to respect and protect them.

This Earth Note was written by Rose Houk and produced by KNAU and the Sustainable Communities Program at Northern Arizona University.

Rose Houk is a Flagstaff-based writer and editor, specializing in natural history and environmental topics.  Rose was a founding contributor of KNAU's Earth Notes and has written nearly 200 scripts for the series. She is also the author of many publications about national park and monuments, along with audio productions. 

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