Evaluating NAA, pXRF, and LIBS from the Perspective of Ochre from Gledswood Shelter 1, Queensland, Australia

Summary

Title: Evaluating NAA, pXRF, and LIBS from the Perspective of Ochre from Gledswood Shelter 1, Queensland, Australia

Authors: Neil Hauser, Jenny Milligan, Lynley Wallis, Alan Watchman, and Wayne Wilson

Gledswood Shelter 1, Queensland, Australia was utilized by prehistoric people for 40,000 years. As part of the investigation of ochre from Gledswood Shelter 1, several samples recovered from different levels of the shelter were subjected to NAA (neutron activation analysis), pXRF (portable X-ray fluorescence), and LIBS (laser induced breakdown spectroscopy) to identify which samples might have come from the same quarries. Actual sources for the ochre are not known. These analyses provided an opportunity to compare and contrast the information obtained from each of the three elemental analysis methods. In addition, information obtained from all three methods was leveraged to better understand the nature of the samples. Each method has its strengths and weaknesses but together provide more robust characterization of the samples than any one method alone.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage