Mõssbauer spectroscopy and dating by fission traces in provenience studies of archaeomaterials: obsidian artefacts

A obsidiana foi urna das matérias primas mais utilizadas na industria lírica pré-histórica; é encontrada em numerosos sitios arqueológicos de regiões vulcânicas, e também, em lugares às vezes distantes de sua origem. A busca de fontes naturais de onde provêm as obsidianas, encontradas em sitios arqueológicos, permite uma melhor compreensão dos sistemas de troca e/ou proveniência destes objetos. Por suas características físico-químicas e de afloramento, a obsidiana é urna das rochas preferidas para este tipo de estudo. Neste artigo, descrevemos brevemente dois métodos físicos atualmente utilizados em estudos de proveniência de obsidianas arqueológicas, a espectroscopia Mõssbauer e a datação por traços de fissão, onde são dados alguns exemplos de aplicação e comentadas as perspectivas oferecidas por esses métodosObsidian was one of the most widely used raw materials of the prehistoric lithic industry. It is present in many archaeological sites from volcanic provinces, but also in sites sometimes very far from any volcano. To look for the natural outcrop from where any particular archaeological obsidian was extracted is of prime importance to contribute to the knowledge of past trade networks and/or procurement strategies. Because of its physico-chemical and outcropping characteristics, obsidian is one of the preferred rocks for provenance studies. In this article, we describe briefly two physical methods presently used in obsidian sourcing, Mõssbauer spectroscopy and fission track dating. A few examples and the research perspectives offered by these approaches are commente

Druse clinopyroxene in D'Orbigny angritic meteorite studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis and Mössbauer spectroscopy

The crystal structure of druse clinopyroxene from the D’Orbigny angrite, (Ca0.944 Fe2+ 0.042 Mg0.010Mn0.004) (Mg0.469Fe2+ 0.317Fe3+ 0.035Al0.125Cr0.010Ti0.044) (Si1.742Al0.258) O6, a = 9.7684(2), b = 8.9124(2), c = 5.2859(1) Å, β = 105.903(1)°, V = 442.58 Å3, space group C2/c, Z = 2, has been refined to an R1 index of 1.92% using single-crystal X-ray diffraction data. The unit formula, calculated from electron microprobe analysis, and the refined site scattering values were used to assign site populations. The distribution of Fe2+ and Mg over the M1 and M2 sites suggests a closure temperature of 1000 °C. Mössbauer spectroscopy measurements were done at room temperature on a single crystal and a powdered sample. The spectra are adequately fit by a Voigt-based quadrupole-splitting distribution model having two generalized sites, one for Fe2+ with two Gaussian components and one for Fe3+ with one Gaussian component. The two ferrous components are assigned to Fe2+ at the M1 site, and arise from two different next-nearest-neighbor configurations of Ca and Fe cations at the M2 site: (3Ca,0Fe) and (2Ca,1Fe). The Fe3+/Fetot ratio determined by Mössbauer spectroscopy is in agreement with that calculated from the electron microprobe analysis. The results are discussed in connection with the redox and thermal history of D’Orbigny.Fil: Abdu, Yassir A.. University of Manitoba; CanadáFil: Scorzelli, Rosa B.. Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas; BrasilFil: Varela, Maria Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito". Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Complejo Astronómico "El Leoncito"; ArgentinaFil: Kurat, Gero. Naturhistorisches Museum; AustriaFil: Souza Azevedo, Izabel de. Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas; BrasilFil: Stewart, Silvana Jacqueline. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto de Física La Plata. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Física La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Hawthorne, Frank C.. University of Manitoba; Canad

Tendances actuelles dans la caractérisation des obsidiennes pour les études de provenance

Les recherches de provenance des obsidiennes de sites paléolithiques et néolithiques connaissent actuellement une grande expansion, notamment par leur intégration dans les études de chaînes opératoires, qui nécessitent de déterminer l’origine de la matière première de séries importantes de pièces archéologiques. Il existe par ailleurs une forte demande de mesures peu à non destructives et éventuellement à effectuer in situ. D’où un certain nombre de développements méthodologiques récents. Le but de cette contribution est d’en présenter le statut actuel.Sourcing studies involving obsidians from Palaeolithic and Neolithic sites are presently undergoing a period of change, notably in terms of the average number of samples analyzed per project, due largely to their integration into the chaînes opératoires approach of lithic technologies. This can entail working with a large number of artifacts from an archaeological context. There is also an ever-increasing demand to employ quasi non-destructive characterization methods and completely non-destructive methods that eventually could be performed in situ. As such, recent methodological advances have taken several directions. The purpose of this short note is to give an overview of these approaches

Precious metals determination in ancient coins by portable ED-XRF spectroscopy with a 238Pu source

A portable X-ray fluorescence system (pXRF) was employed to analyse a set of gold, silver and billon coins from the collection of the Museu Histórico Nacional do Rio de Janeiro (MHN), struck during the Brasil Colônia period, under the Dutch occupation, and in Portuguese mints under the reigns of Fernando I (1367 to 1383) and his successor João I (1383 to 1433). The experimental setup consisted of a mini Si-PIN detector and a radioactive source of 238Pu for the excitation of the samples. The aim of the study was to test the possibilities and limitations of this portable system for the determination of the coins’ base alloys, and to verify whether the results obtained were consistent with historical facts. The Brasil Colônia period coins show about 80.5% gold and 96.8% silver. For the Portuguese coins, we could identify a possible monetary debasement during the reign of João I. No matrix corrections were made for these preliminary results.Un équipement portable à fluorescence X (pFX) a été utilisé pour l’analyse de monnaies en or, en argent et en billon appartenant à la collection du Museu Histórico Nacional de Rio de Janeiro (MHN). Certaines de ces monnaies ont été frappées au Brésil pendant la période Brasil Colônia et sous l’occupation hollandaise, alors que d’autres ont été frappées au Portugal sous les règnes de Ferdinand I (1367-1383) et de son successeur Jean I (1383-1433). Le montage expérimental est constitué d’un mini détecteur Si-PIN et d’une source radioactive de 238Pu, dont la radiation émise est utilisée comme source d’excitation. Le but de ce travail est double : vérifier les possibilités et les limites de ce système portable lors qu’il s’agit de déterminer les alliages constitutifs de monnaies en métal précieux et vérifier les rapports entre l’évolution des compositions des monnaies et les différents faits historiques. Les monnaies appartenant à la période Brasil Colônia sont constituées de 80,5 % d’or et de 96,8 % d’argent et les monnaies frappées au Portugal montrent une dévaluation sous Jean I

Meteorites: messengers from the outer space

Tens of millions of meteoroids, solid bodies from the outer space, enter the Earth's atmosphere each year. They are pieces of stone, iron or stony-iron conglomerates, ranging in mass from fractions of a gram to hundreds of kilograms. Those that survive the passage through the atmosphere and fall to Earth are called meteorites. Meteorites are the most ancient and primitive rocks as old as the Solar system. The study of these enigmatic objects intrigued scientists since ancient times, not only about their place of origin but also about the conditions that prevailed there and gave rise to their characteristic chemical and mineralogical composition and structures. These primitive rocks are messengers from the outer space that carry with them precious secrets about the formation of the Solar system, depends on us to reveal them. In this paper a review of the work done in the Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas (CBPF/MCT), applying the Mössbauer spectroscopy to the study of the meteoritic Fe-Ni system will be reported

Caracteriza\ue7\ue3o mineral\uf3gica de uma bentonita da mina Bravo, Boa Vista, Para\uedba

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Correlating Size and Composition-Dependent Effects with Magnetic, Mössbauer, and Pair Distribution Function Measurements in a Family of Catalytically Active Ferrite Nanoparticles

The magnetic spinel ferrites, MFe₂O₄ (wherein “M” = a divalent metal ion such as but not limited to Mn, Co, Zn, and Ni), represent a unique class of magnetic materials in which the rational introduction of different “M”s can yield correspondingly unique and interesting magnetic behaviors. Herein we present a generalized hydrothermal method for the synthesis of single-crystalline ferrite nanoparticles with M = Mg, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn, respectively, which can be systematically and efficaciously produced simply by changing the metal precursor. Our protocol can moreover lead to reproducible size control by judicious selection of various surfactants. As such, we have probed the effects of both (i) size and (ii) chemical composition upon the magnetic properties of these nanomaterials using complementary magnetometry and Mössbauer spectroscopy techniques. The structure of the samples was confirmed by atomic pair distribution function analysis of X-ray and electron powder diffraction data as a function of particle size. These materials retain the bulk spinel structure to the smallest size (i.e., 3 nm). In addition, we have explored the catalytic potential of our ferrites as both (a) magnetically recoverable photocatalysts and (b) biological catalysts and noted that many of our as-prepared ferrite systems evinced intrinsically higher activities as compared with their iron oxide analogues

Correction: ERas and COLorectal endoscopic surgery: an Italian society for endoscopic surgery and new technologies (SICE) national report (Surgical Endoscopy, (2022), 10.1007/s00464-022-09212-y)

This article was updated to correct Nicolò Fabbri's name in the listing of the ERCOLE Study Group (in Acknowledgments)