Archaeometric Studies of Rock Paintings in Colombia, South America: Geochemical and Mineralogical Characterization

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Geochemical studies of rock paintings in Colombia help to reflect on the technological processes used by the painting peoples to make these representations. With the use of analytical techniques, the chemical and molecular composition of pigments and of possible raw materials used in their manufacture are identified. Geochemical and mineralogical analyses are carried out with the help of analytical techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (in situ). In the laboratory, analyses are performed through techniques such as optical microscopy in transmitted and reflected polarized light, SEM/EDS electron microscopy, electron microprobe, X-ray diffraction, and Raman and Infrared spectrometry. The results show that the pigments of the rock paintings have different compositions. Those of red colors present a high amount of iron oxides from clay minerals. The white ones come from minerals such as Anatase or Calcite. On the other hand, these geochemical studies offer relevant information to carry out conservation processes for rock art. The advances of these studies in the areas of the central highlands, in the Sabana de Bogotá and in the Orinoquia lands, in the Serrania de La Lindosa, are presented here.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37581.0