Breakthrough in precision (0.3 percent) of neutron activation analyses applied to provenience studies of obsidian

A gamma ray spectrometer at LBNL (the Luis W. Alvarez Iridium Coincidence Spectrometer), that was specifically designed for high sensitivity measurements of iridium abundances, has been significantly modified in order to provide precisions of measurement in neutron activation analysis of obsidian significantly better than previously obtained (about 1%). Repeated measurements on a single sample of obsidian from a deposit near Chivay, Arequipa, Peru, showed a precision (average coefficient of variation) of 0.19% for the 6 best-measured elements, the value anticipated from the known random errors of measurement. In measurement of samples made from 7 different obsidian nodules from two locations near Chivay, a group of 5 had a spread of 0.30% for the 6 elements measured with counting statistics of better than 0.3% (and 1.8% for the remaining 6 elements). The data suggest there are source inhomogeneity and/or sample preparation contamination errors totaling 0.24 {+-} .05% for the 6 best measured elements. A sixth obsidian sample could be distinguished from the main group because it differed by +0.8% for most elements, and the last sample could be easily distinguished because several elements differed by more than 1%. The precision of measurements now being developed may provide a significantly more precise determination of the provenience of obsidian artifacts than has been heretofore possible. Also the techniques of measurement developed for obsidian will provide even better precisions with pottery, as many elements are more abundant in pottery than in obsidian