Users of the obsidian hydration dating method have routinely assumed that artifacts which originate from the same geological flow will be of the same chemical composition and thus hydrate at the same rate under equivalent conditions of temperature and relative humidity. Recent laboratory experimentation into the hydration process has shown that the intrinsic water content of the glass is the dominant factor in establishing the rate of hydration. Water content determinations on a large suite of samples from numerous prehistoric quarries within the Coso volcanic field, California, indicated that water content values, and thus hydration rate, varied significantly on a within flow basis. It is recommended that water determinations be made on individual artifacts prior to obsidian hydration dating. 0 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.