The geochemical relationship between soil, plant and streamwater; implications for migration studies
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-01-06

Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) and rare earth element (REE) analyses of rock, the leachable fraction of soil, plant and surface waters are applied as chemical proxies to assess chemical reservoir interactions, element bioavailability and geographic variability. These processes are the basis for geographic discrimination and associated archaeological provenancing. 53 biosphere samples were collected from a small geographic area in Co. Meath, a region of Ireland that has highly variable bedrock and surficial geology and hosts significant archaeological sites including, Newgrange, the Hill of Tara and Knowth. These multi-element and isotope data geochemically constrain this region and the high degree of spatial variability in 87Sr/86Sr highlights the inherent requirement for high-density sampling in order to isotopically characterise distinct reservoirs. The results of this study provide a baseline of biosphere geochemical data that can be applied to archaeological studies examining the past migration of populations in this archaeologically important region.

Author - Ryan, Saskia, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Co-author(s) - Crowley, Quentin, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Co-author(s) - Snoeck, Christophe, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium (Presenting author)
Co-author(s) - Babechuk, Michael, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland