SESSION 6 - Characterising lithic sources
The Vegamian formation: characterization of a source of supply of potential lithic raw material during Prehistory in the Cantabrian mountains

The Vegamian Formation is formed of slates and shales of Tournaisian age (Lower Carboniferous) with strata of limestone and black lydites. These rocks are high in silica, normally associated with radiolarians, and the formation is present both north and south of the Cordillera.
The aim of this work is to define this type of raw material. For this purpose, we will provide a characterization from various points of view, such as textural, with petrographic analysis of thin sections, and mineralogical, through X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). They will be applied to samples from geologic outcrops and, subsequently, contrasted with similar analyses of archaeological samples from the La Uña and El Espertin sites. This will allow us to investigate the exploitation of this type of raw material during prehistory in the southern Cantabrian Mountains. The results can also be extrapolated to the northern area.