Gallello, Gianni, Ferro Vazquez, Maria De La Cruz, Chenery, Simon et al. (5 more authors) (2019) The capability of Rare Earth Elements geochemistry to interpret complex archaeological stratigraphy. Microchemical Journal. ISSN 0026-265X
Abstract
In this study rare earth elements (REE) signatures (REE ratios, cerium and europium anomalies) are applied to a complex soil stratigraphic sequence from the site of Konso, Ethiopia, with the aim of determining whether REE can distinguish the strata observed in the field. Forty soil samples were taken from a depositional sequence that includes overlapping human induced and ‘natural’ erosional and depositional processes. The samples were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine trace elements and REE, with concentrations of major elements determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Cluster Analyses (CA) were used to observe differences between strata. The mechanisms that influenced REE values and fractionations were related to OM accumulation, pyrogenic SOM, redox, secondary CaCO3 precipitation, suggesting the addition of proxies to the REE, Sc and Y data processing. This produced a clustering of samples that more accurately reflected the stratigraphic field observations. It is expected that this approach, combining the analysis of REE concentrations with an understanding of the mechanisms driving them in a given site or profile, will be replicable for other stratigraphic sequences. The results demonstrate that REE signatures are not just able to detect stratigraphic differences defined through field observations but also highlight variations within the same deposits. REE analysis could therefore become a powerful geoarchaeological tool, even for studies of complex stratigraphies.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | rare earth elements,agricultural terraces,organic matter,Konso,anthropogenic deposits,stratigraphy |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Environment and Geography (York) The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 21 May 2019 13:00 |
Last Modified: | 06 Nov 2024 01:33 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2019.05.050 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.microc.2019.05.050 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:146429 |