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Applications of Laboratory-Based X-Ray Microfluorescence Analysis in Archaeometry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

N.E. Pingitore Jr. ,
J.D. Leach ,
A. Iglesias ,
C.G. Sampson ,
D.L. Carmichael  and
J.A. Peterson
N.E. Pingitore Jr.
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX79968-0555
J.D. Leach
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX79968-0555 Centro de Investigaciones Arqueologicas, 130 North Stevens, Suite E, El Paso, TX, 79905.
A. Iglesias
Affiliation:
Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX79968-0555
C.G. Sampson
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX75275-0336
D.L. Carmichael
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968
J.A. Peterson
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968
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Extract

X-ray microfluorescence (XRMF) is spatially resolved x-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of elemental composition. Formerly available only at synchrotron sources, recent development of commercial instruments has brought a tamer version of this technique into the size and price range of the academic laboratory. Our Kevex Omicron system features a primary beam diameter as small as 30 μm, with an energy dispersive spectrometer collecting the x-ray spectrum from Na to U. The micro-positioning stage and optical microscope permit selective spatially resolved analysis on the surfaces of objects as large as a desktop dictionary. The large sample stage, functional spatial resolution, and non-destructive analysis present significant opportunities for elemental analysis of a variety of archaeological materials. In particular, objects which for aesthetic, religious, regulatory, or economic reasons cannot be subjected to any alteration in sample preparation may still be analyzed by XRMF. Our laboratory has been conducting a number of investigations which illustrate the potential impact of XRMF technology on archaeometry.

Type
Novel X-Ray Methods: From Microscopy to Ultimate Detectability
Information
Microscopy and Microanalysis , Volume 4 , Issue S2: Proceedings: Microscopy & Microanalysis '98, Microscopy Society of America 56th Annual Meeting, Microbeam Analysis Society 32nd Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia July 12-16, 1998 , July 1998 , pp. 368 - 369
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

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References

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