Mineralogical evidence from Bukit Bunuh impact crater and its contribution to prehistoric lithic raw materials

Abstract

: Centre for Global Archaeological Research (CGAR), USM had conducted geoarchaeology research at Bukit Bunuh Lenggong since 2008, proven the site is in-situ Paleolithic and meteorite impact crater site. Recent studies and research in geology and geophysics also has proven that Bukit Bunuh is a meteorite impact crater. The evolution of archaeological studies in Lenggong Valley had made it being listed as one of the UNESCO world heritages sites on 30 July 2012 through its chronology and importance to the country and world. The evidence of hand axe embedded in the suevite with the dating 1.83 million years shows a clear connection between evidence of archaeology and geology at Bukit Bunuh. The Paleolithic humans at Bukit Bunuh have chosen different raw materials to be used as stone tools and their equipment (Table 1). Most of the stone stools were selected from cherty metasediment and quartzite as their raw materials. Some of the stone tools were made from suevite and quartz. The Planetary and Space Science Center (PASSC), based in University New Brunswick, Canada, has listed six criteria for proving an area to be recognized as a meteorite impact area. One of the criteria is the presence of high pressure mineral polymorphs within in situ lithologies. This mineralogical research was focused to identify high pressure minerals. Samples taken in this research was heavy minerals. The samples were collected by using panning method and covering the Bukit Bunuh, Lenggong and its vicinity. Sampling was done in three phases and 61 samples were analyzed using XRD. As a result, the analysis indicates the presence of high pressure mineral polymorphs in