Fire-cracked Rock Use and Reuse in the Hueco Bolson, Fort Bliss, Texas

The Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an analysis of 29,058 pieces of fire-cracked rock and burned caliche selected from a sample of hundreds of features tested as part of the Hueco Mountain Archaeological Project at Fort Bliss, Texas. Feature and non-feature material included in this analysis were collected from site FB 13237 located on the proximal fan, FB 12719 within the basin area, and FB 12412 situated in the transitional zone between the two.

The goal of the analysis was to identify patterns of attribute variability in burned rock that could be used to infer function of the various features and sites in the sample. Specific burned rock attributes used in the study were material type, size, weight, and the presence or absence of fracturing, cortex, and discoloration. These attributes were recorded and compared in various combinations at course- and fine-grained levels of intensity to address issues of reuse, recycling, feature function, thermally induced morphological variability, and how these variables might relate to specific land forms through time.

Through these comparisons, patterns relating to expedient material selection, feature type, reuse and feature function were identified.

得克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校考古研究中心（Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio）针对从得克萨斯州布利斯堡韦科山考古项目（Hueco Mountain Archaeological Project）测试的数百处考古遗存样本中遴选的29058件火烧破裂岩石（fire-cracked rock）与灼烧钙结壳（burned caliche）开展了分析。本次分析纳入的遗存与非遗存标本采集自三处遗址：位于近源扇面的FB 13237遗址、盆地范围内的FB 12719遗址，以及地处二者之间过渡带的FB 12412遗址。

本次分析的核心目标为识别灼烧岩石的属性变异规律，以此推断样本中各类考古遗存与遗址的功能。研究中选取的灼烧岩石属性包括物质类型、尺寸、重量，以及是否存在破裂、原生外皮（cortex）与变色现象。研究者以粗、细两种粒度的强度等级对上述属性进行多组合记录与对比，以探讨遗存复用、循环利用、遗存功能、热诱导形态变异等问题，同时厘清这些变量如何随时间推移与特定地貌单元产生关联。

通过上述对比分析，研究团队识别出与应急性材料遴选、遗存类型、遗存复用及遗存功能相关的规律模式。