Lava Creek :

The Lava Creek site is a small lithic scatter located approximately 2 kilometers north of Elfin Lakes. Located 10 meters south of a switch back along the "Opal Cone" trail, the dimensions of the site are 25 meters north to south, and 15 meters east to west (see Figure 9).

Figure 9. Map of the Lava Creek Site.

Located on top of a small ridge, the site overlooks the Opal Cone trail and Lava Creek (see figure 10). Artifacts found on site are all Garibaldi glassy rhyodacite (see appendix 2). None of the artifacts observed on the surface are stylistically diagnostic. Small hollows created by cryoturbation and slope wash from spring melt have altered the sites matrix.

Figure 10. Photograph of the Lava Creek Site.
This site represents a lithic reduction workshop related to hunting activities. A number of flakes observed on the surface of the site suggest tools were not roughed out on site but were more likely finished on site. Two flakes were collected to be used to illustrate this point (see figure 11 and 12).
Figure 11. Photograph of the Lava Creek Artifacts Site.


Figure 12. Drawings of Artifact from the Lava Creek Site.

It is possible other culture materials in buried contexts may suggest differently. No faunal or human remains were found on site. The deposits may extend to depths of 10-20 cm in sections of the site. No sub-surface testing was done due to Parks concerns over the fragile ecology of the area.


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© 1999 Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada.