RECIENTES DATOS DE ELEMENTOS TRAZA DE LA NUEVA FUENTE PRIMARIA DE OBSIDIANA NEGRA TRES CERROS (NORESTE DE LA PROVINCIA DE SANTA CRUZ, PATAGONIA, ARGENTINA)

ABSTRACT We report a previously unknown black obsidian outcrop located at the eastern end of the Deseado Massif, near the Atlantic Ocean and the town of Tres Cerros, in Patagonia. A black obsidian artifact from the Alero 4 site, located on the northeastern coast of Santa Cruz, was analyzed, showing macroscopic characteristics similar to those identified in the Tres Cerros samples. In this sense, we emphasize that no evidence has yet been recorded that indicates the exploitation of Tres Cerros source by human hunter-gatherer groups that occupied the Patagonian region in the past. In this framework, the geochemical characterization of the potential source presented here constitutes initial information which can be compared with the one obtained from artifacts in archaeological sites, providing information to understand human mobility and the criteria for raw material selection.