Obsidian geochemistry

The energy-dispersive (EDXRF) x-ray fluorescence laboratory provides access to analyses of archaeological and source standard obsidian and other volcanic rocks on a per-sample basis under the direction of Steven Shackley, who has worked on various archaeological projects worldwide, particularly in the greater North American Southwest for over 30 years.

Nico Tripcevich has a Ph.D. in Anthropology (UC Santa Barbara, 2007) and a B.A. in Geography (Montana, 1994). As an ARF staff member he manages six laboratories and the instruments and permits associated with these labs. He manages the computing resources at the ARF including desktop and mobile systems, licenses, and more recently as a partner in the virtual machine distribution provided by Research IT.