Geochemical and Petrographic Analyses on Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Cherts from the Central Region of Mediterranean Iberia

This paper presents the geochemical and petrographic characterization, along with the macroscopic observations, of several cherts from the central region of the Mediterranean Iberia. To determine the microfacies and microtextural features, thin-section samples were analyzed using polarizing light microscopy (PLM) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM/EDX). Geochemical analyses were performed using instrumental neutron activation analyses (INAA). With the data, multivariate statistical analysis by means of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal components analysis (PCA) was applied to the chemical variables to identify clusters among the chert samples. The results showed different geochemical features between cherts concerning major, minor, and trace elements. Archaeological samples from different sites demonstrated lithic raw material circulation and, thus, human mobility in the central region of Mediterranean Iberia during the Middle and Upper Paleolithic.