Evaporitic Chert Provenance: Evaluating Petrographic and Geochemical Workflows for Source Discrimination

ABSTRACT Chert tools were widely used in prehistory by human societies due to their knapping suitability and availability, but their relatively uniform composition, especially in evaporitic cherts, complicates sourcing, requiring specialised analytical methods. This study presents the petrographic and geochemical characteristics of evaporitic cherts from the central Catalan region (NE Iberia) to assess their potential archaeological provenance. These Palaeogene cherts are petrographically heterogeneous and difficult to distinguish macroscopically. We integrate petrography with portable X‐ray fluorescence (pXRF) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) data to evaluate the discriminatory power. Although pXRF provides rapid, nondestructive screening, LA‐ICP‐MS detects subtle trace‐element variability. Multivariate analysis identifies distinct geochemical signatures, providing a robust framework for chert sourcing and reconstructing prehistoric mobility and procurement strategies.