Application of neutron activation analysis to the study of element concentration and exchange in fossil bones

Intra-skeletal variability in trace elemental content of Precolumbian Chupicuaro human bones: the record of post-mortem alteration and a tool for palaeodietary reconstruction

“…This result strengthens the idea that this parameter is not a relevant diagenetic proxy (Hubert et al, 1996;Fabig and Herrmann, 2002). However, other parameters do show that dissolutionerecrystallisation processes seem unlikely: i) Chupicuaro bones REE content is close to 1 ppm, typical concentrations for in vivo bone (Trueman and Tuross, 2002); ii) Bone F, Sr and V content are not associated with an increase in crystallinity at the intra-skeletal scale, nor at the population level; iii) The U diffusioneadsorption process operating on bone crystallites (Badone and Farquhar, 1982;Hedges, 1995, 1996;Simon et al, 2008) may explain the relatively homogeneous intra-skeletal U content, the significant human bone U content, and the absence of any relationship between U and other elements or mineralogical parameters.…”

Ion microprobe U-Pb dating of a dinosaur tooth

“…These elements may have been enriched in the tooth during early diagenetic processes either by chemical alteration of the original apatite crystals or incorporation of ~100 nm scale clay particles and oxyhydroxide mineral (Kohn et al, 1999). It is also documented that buried bone takes up large amounts of U and the U content increases with the duration of burial and the local groundwater concentration of U (Williams and Marlow, 1987;Badone and Farquar, 1982). Generally bones buried for longer than 100 ka are fairly uniform in the spatial distribution of U (Williams and Marlow, 1987), while those buried for shorter periods exhibit a concentration gradient decreasing from the outer surface (Badone and Farquar, 1982).…”

“…It is also documented that buried bone takes up large amounts of U and the U content increases with the duration of burial and the local groundwater concentration of U (Williams and Marlow, 1987;Badone and Farquar, 1982). Generally bones buried for longer than 100 ka are fairly uniform in the spatial distribution of U (Williams and Marlow, 1987), while those buried for shorter periods exhibit a concentration gradient decreasing from the outer surface (Badone and Farquar, 1982). A diffusion-adsorption model of U uptake by archaeological bone has been proposed (Millard and Hedges, 1996) and may be applicable to tooth dentine since the structure of dentine is basically similar to that of bone.…”

The Role of the Environment in Uranium Uptake by Buried Bone

“…Badone & Farquhar, 1982). We have developed a diffusion-adsorption model of uranium uptake by bone, which, if proved realistic, would allow better estimates of dates from uranium series measurements (Millard & Hedges, in prep.).…”