The Basalts of the Independent State of Samoa

Abstract

There is now a long history in the study of the movement of stone tools, especially those made of basalt, around Oceania (e.g. Shotton 1971; Binns and McBryde 1972; Sheppard et al. 1997). Both petrography and geochemistry have been used to sort basalts from different Pacific islands and from sources within specific island groups (e.g. Best et al. 1992). Many basaltic samples from Tutuila (American Samoa) have been analyzed. Such studies can be critical in the study of trade and socio-economic interactions in the Pacific Islands. (e.g. Best et al. 1992; Clark et al. 1997; Davidson 1977; James et al. 2007; Kaeppler 1978). This paper adds new information on the geochemical variability of basalts from the two large islands of Savai’i (latitude: 13° 34′ 60 S, longitude: 172° 25′ 0 W) and Upolo (latitude: 13° 55′ 0 S, longitude: 171° 45′ 0 W) in The Independent State of Samoa that lies just to the east of the international data line. Given the apparent absence of quarry sites in Samoa (Green 1947; Clark et al. 1997) these chemical data provide archaeologists with another avenue to pursue the sourcing tools made from basaltic rock.