found in a particular location was locally produced or traded from elsewhere. This kind of information, along with other evidence, can support conclusions about settlement patterns, group and individual mobility, social contacts, and trade networks. In addition, an understanding of how certain minerals are altered at specific temperatures can allow archaeological petrographers to infer aspects of the ceramic production process itself, such as minimum and maximum temperatures reached during the original firing of the pot. See also Ceramic petrography References External links Atlas of Rocks, Minerals, and Textures Petrographical description of rocks and minerals. Uncommon igneous, metamorphic and metasomatic rocks in thin section, in unpolarized light and under crossed polarizers. Name that Mineral Datatable for comparing observable properties of minerals in thin sections, under transmitted or reflected light. Petrology Optical mineralogy Methods in archaeology