Dall collected the piece of obsidian near the mouth of the Nowitna River. One hundred and fifty-seven years later, archaeologist Jeff Rasic held that same piece of obsidian in his hand at the Smithsonian.
Updated: 15 minutes agoA piece of obsidian rock sits on display in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. William Healey Dall collected the rock in 1868 near the Nowitna River in Interior Alaska.
He tucked away the interesting stone, scribbled a note about it in his journal, and continued on his expedition. His mission was to survey a possible route for a telegraph line along the Yukon River that might connect the U.S. with Europe via the Bering Strait. There, he walked right to the institution’s geological collection to further explore one of his favorite projects: the sources of ancient obsidian tools found in Alaska.
Rasic is always on the lookout for samples of Alaska obsidian. He wants to pinpoint long-forgotten sources and learn what the rocks can tell us about interactions between ancient Alaskans. In the basement of the Smithsonian in Washington, Rasic pointed his machine at the black rock Dall had reported as a possible geological source. He pulled the trigger. The device sent out controlled beam of X-rays that excited electrons within the rock. That allowed Rasic to instantly know the concentration of elements in that piece of obsidian.
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