Detailed near-infrared study of the ‘water’-related transformations in silcrete upon heat treatment

In archaeology, lithic heat treatment is the process of modifying a rock for stone tool production using fire. Although the earliest known cases of heat treatment come from South Africa and involved silcrete, a microcrystalline pedogenic silica rock, its thermal transformations remain poorly understood. We investigate the ‘water’-related transformations in silcrete using direct transmission near-infrared spectroscopy. We found that SiOH is...