Named stone
Wildhorse Canyon obsidian
Also called Schoo Mine obsidian (Wild Horse Canyon), Mineral Mountains obsidian
A kind of obsidian
Wildhorse Canyon obsidianObsidianRockies & Great BasinDescription
Wildhorse Canyon is in the Mineral Mountains of Beaver County, Utah. The Nevada Department of Transportation source guide lists it with the Schoo Mine, and the same guide ties glass from these sources to Utah's Garrison site, about 80 miles away, and to site complexes at Panaca Summit, Nevada. The Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory ranks Wildhorse Canyon first among the sources represented in its database of more than 8,000 characterized Utah artifacts. It leads a top ten that also includes Topaz Mountain, Black Rock, Modena and Browns Bench. The opened sources do not describe the colour, quality or geology of the glass, so this page is mainly a location and ranking note until a geological survey or journal description is added.
Geology
Beaver County, Utah, in the Mineral Mountain Range. The opened sources give the location only (T.27S., R.9W., sections 2 and 22) and no geology.
Where it comes from
Rockies & Great Basin
States
Quarries and outcrops
- Wild Horse Canyon and the Schoo Mine area, Mineral Mountains, Beaver County, Utah
Used by
- Found at the Garrison site, Utah, and at the Panaca Summit site complexes, Nevada (Moore); no cultures or periods are named for Wildhorse Canyon specifically
Look-alikes
Stones that are easy to confuse with Wildhorse Canyon obsidian.
- Topaz Mountain, Black Rock and Modena obsidians (the other top Utah sources)
Sources
- Moore, Joe. 2009. Great Basin Tool-Stone Sources: The NDOT Obsidian and Tool-Stone Sourcing Project, 2002 Progress Report. Nevada Department of Transportation, Cultural Resource Section.deschutesmeridian.com (opens in a new tab)
- Skinner, Craig E. 2010. Top 10 Obsidian Sources: Utah. Northwest Research Obsidian Studies Laboratory blog (June 15, 2010).sourcecatalog.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)