Trace element discrimination, copper sources

Trace Element Discrimination of Discrete Sources of Native Copper... 

Rapp, George, Jr., J. Albert, and E. Henrickson. 1984. Trace element discrimination of discrete sources of native copper. In Archaeological Chemistiy HI. J.P. Lambert (ed.), pp. 273-292. Washington, D.C. American Chemical Society. 

Activation analysis is used to establish trace element gerprints of geologic deposits of native copper. By using the statistical techniques of discriminant analysis and K-means cluster analysis and the trace element concentrations in artifact copper, an assignment of probable geographic and(or) geologic source of the artifact raw material can be made. 

As LA-MC-ICP-MS becomes more accessible, provenance studies may begin to combine elemental and isotopic characterization. Some time ago, Stos-Gale [114] suggested that metal provenance studies could be based on combined lead isotope and trace element analyses, and the same kind of combined approach would seem desirable in the case of turquoise as well as other, seldom analyzed materials such as ceramic glazes. Cooper et al. [115] combined trace element and LA-MC-ICP-MS lead isotope analysis of native copper from North America, but found that the lead isotopes were of little use in source discrimination. 

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