Geochemical analysis of eight red ochres from western North America

In this paper we report on our examination of the suitability of geochemical provenance studies on red ochre sources from western North America. We report geochemical data derived from PIXE (particle-induced X-ray emission) analysis of eight red ochre sources from California, Oregon, Wyoming, and Alaska. Our preliminary analysis of these red ochres, including multiple samples from one large deposit, suggests that the tested samples vary significantly between sources. Ir appears likely that the geochemical analysis of red ochres, widely used and traded among Native Americans and other ancient peoples around the world, could expand the range of materials used by archaeologists and other scholars to reconstruct past exchange and interaction systems.