Obsidian Cliff
Obsidian Cliff | |
U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
![]() Obsidian Cliff | |
44°49′08″N 110°43′40″W / 44.8189°N 110.7278°W / 44.8189; -110.7278 | |
Area | 3,580 acres (14.5 km2)[1] |
---|---|
NRHP reference No. | 96000973 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | June 19, 1996[2] |
Designated NHL | June 19, 1996[3] |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f5/Henry_Farney_Obsidian_Mountain_In_The_Yellowstone.jpg/220px-Henry_Farney_Obsidian_Mountain_In_The_Yellowstone.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Yellowstone_Park%2C_illustrated--II_-_DPLA_-_c540d2b90d5a445aab7c953e213d38b6_%28cropped%29.jpg/220px-Yellowstone_Park%2C_illustrated--II_-_DPLA_-_c540d2b90d5a445aab7c953e213d38b6_%28cropped%29.jpg)
Obsidian Cliff, also known as 48YE433, was an important source of lithic materials for prehistoric peoples in Yellowstone National Park near Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, United States. The cliff was named by Philetus Norris, the second park superintendent in 1878.[4] It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1996.[1][3]
Geography
It is located about 13 miles (21 km) south of Mammoth Hot Springs, on the east side of the Mammoth-Norris section of the Grand Loop Road.[1] The Obsidian Cliff Kiosk, just north, is also listed on the National Register. Obsidian Cliff is also located on the northern end of Beaver Lake in Yellowstone National Park. A 1988 wildfire cleared trees from the site, allowing further archaeological expeditions.[5][6]
Geology
The cliff was formed from thick rhyolite lava flow that occurred about 180,000 years ago. The vertical columns are cooling fractures that formed as the thick lava flow cooled and crystallized.[6] The Cliffs stands at an elevation of nearly 7,400 feet (2,300 m) above sea level and goes on for about half a mile. The cliffs also extend between 150 and 200 feet above Obsidian Creek. The flow consists of obsidian, a dark volcanic glass. The obsidian is most abundant at the base of the cliff and slowly tapers off to larger concentrations of pumice at the top.
Significance to Native Americans
Obsidian has been quarried from the site for the past 12,000 years. Highly valued for its sharpness, Obsidian was used by Native Americans throughout the Western United States and Canada as knives, spear/arrow tips, and other ceremonial and sharp-edged objects.[6] Thousands of pounds of obsidian was transported thousands of miles to Ohio using the Missouri, Mississippi, and Ohio rivers between ~200BC and ~400AD for use as ceremonial goods by the Hopewell Culture.[7][8]
Notes
- ^ a b c Ann M. Johnson; Leslie B. Davis & Stephen A. Aaberg (January 28, 1993). "National Historic Landmark Nomination: Obsidian Cliff" (pdf). National Park Service.
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(help) and Accompanying nine photos, from 1884, 1889, 1920 and 1989 (32 KB) - ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "Obsidian Cliff". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on June 26, 2006. Retrieved February 29, 2008.
- ^ Whittlesey, Lee (1988). Yellowstone Place Names. Helena, MT: Montana Historical Society Press. p. 114. ISBN 0-917298-15-2.
- ^ "Obsidian Cliff - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. April 4, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ a b c Robbins, Jim (March 20, 2023). "Obsidian Cliff: Humanity's Tool Shed for the Last 11,500 Years". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
- ^ Lynott, Mark (2014). Hopewell Ceremonial Landscapes of Ohio. Oxbow Books. pp. 58–59, 201. ISBN 978-1-78297-754-4.
- ^ Griffin, James; Gordus, A. A.; Wright, G. A. (January 1969). "Identification of the Sources of Hopewellian Obsidian in the Middle West". American Antiquity. 34 (1): 1–14. doi:10.2307/278309. JSTOR 278309 – via JSTOR.
External links
Media related to Obsidian Cliff at Wikimedia Commons
- Obsidian Cliff National Historic Landmark at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
- v
- t
- e
and history
- Fort Yellowstone
- Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District
- North Entrance Road Historic District
- Obsidian Cliff Kiosk
- Roosevelt Arch
- U.S. Post Office (Yellowstone National Park)
![Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/2003-08-19_View_from_Mammoth_Hot_Springs_main_terrace.jpg/90px-2003-08-19_View_from_Mammoth_Hot_Springs_main_terrace.jpg)
and geology
- Antler Peak
- Bunsen Peak
- Clagett Butte
- Electric Peak
- Gallatin Range
- Gardiner, Montana
- Gardner River
- Golden Gate Canyon
- Gray Peak
- Kingman Pass
- Joseph Peak
- Mammoth Hot Springs
- Mount Everts
- Obsidian Cliff
- Semi-Centennial Geyser
- Sepulcher Mountain Sheepeater Cliff
- Terrace Mountain
- Yellowstone River
- List of Yellowstone National Park-related articles
Media related to Mammoth Hot Springs at Wikimedia Commons