Geological formations and deposits containing lithic raw material in Rhineland and neighbouring regions

The GIS dataset contains 19 recent geological formation/ deposit shapefiles that keep lithic raw material used during the Mesolithic also as the Paleolithic and Neolithic period. The geological data was gained from published digital maps (Carte géologique du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg 1998, GÜK200 2007, NRW: IS GK 100 DS 2009, Surface lithology (INSPIRE) 2016) whereas archaeological site inventory and lithic raw material distribution data was gained during the D4 project phase (CRC 806). Further, out of the D4 project database 6 additive datasets where created describing the location of a singular Meuse gravel flint deposit in Hambach, former tertiary quartzite and chalcedony sources (Floss 1994), outcrop locations from raw material surveys (e.g. Gehlen et al. 2015) also as extraction sites. The spatial analysis of lithic raw material sources is a valuable tool to identify and quantify Mesolithic foraging areas through different stages (e.g. Early Mesolithic). Based on the combination of geological data and the D4 sites database potential Mesolithic foraging areas could have been calculated for the D4 study area located in Germany (NRW, Hessen, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland), Luxembourg, Belgium (Wallonia) and the southern Netherlands (Limburg).