The objective of this study is to explore the utility of portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) techniques in identifying the geochemical signature of various classical fossil sites within museum collections. The motivation for this research stems from the challenges posed by the Montsec lithographic limestones collection, which has been dispersed globally since the last century. In some cases, tracing the Montsec origin of certain pieces has proven to be unclear. To achieve this goal, we have examined 17 different lagerstätten sites characterized by distinct carbonate lithology and chronology, using various sample sets. The aim is to determine the feasibility of distinguishing each site through pXRF. The result indicate that this goal is achievable in many sites, such as Ockley or Daohughou, where differentiation is clear. However, in some instances, more sensitive XRF instruments or even other non-destructive techniques are required, as seen in the case of Solnhofen site and Montsec lithographic limestones. Nonetheless, even in these cases, some level of differentiation is possible through non-invasive pXRF. Furthermore, within the context of museum collections, we are examining the impact of resin used for fossils conservation (such as Paraloid ® -B72) on the detection of compositional signatures. It is noted that resin treatments can bring about changes, such as masking calcium detection and introducing iron into the obtained data
