RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PROCUREMENT STRATEGIES AND GEOLOGIC PROVENIENCE AT THE DOVER QUARRY SITE COMPLEX, TENNESSEE

The spatial distribution of prehistoric mining activities at the Dover Quarry site complex in Tennessee gives us insight not only into the behavioral systems of the people who utilized the resource but also on the geologic provenience of the chert deposits. Survey data is presented that emphasizes the relationship between quarrying activities and the variable geographic occurrence of Dover chert. Geologic research gives information regarding the stratigraphic position of Dover chert within the study area. Geologic information combined with a detailed survey of the quarry sites reveals the dynamic relationship that prehistoric miners had with the resource and its uneven distribution on the landscape.