In situ oxygen isotope micro-analysis of faunal material and human teeth using a SHRIMP II: a new tool for palaeo-ecology and archaeology

Authors

Maxime Aubert, University of WollongongFollow
Ian S. Williams, Australian National University
Katarina Bolijkovac, Australian National University
Ian Moffat, Australian National University
Marie-Helene Moncel, Département de Préhistoire du Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France
Elise Dufour, Muséum national d’histoire naturelle, Archéozoologie, France
Rainer Grun, Australian National University

RIS ID

62943

Publication Details

Aubert, M., Williams, I. S., Bolijkovac, K., Moffat, I., Moncel, M., Dufour, E. & Grun, R. (2012). In situ oxygen isotope micro-analysis of faunal material and human teeth using a SHRIMP II: A new tool for palaeo-ecology and archaeology. Journal of Archaeological Science, 39 (10), 3184-3194.

Abstract

A Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP II) has been used to make high spatial resolution in situ micro-analyses of oxygen isotopes in fish otoliths, and teeth from fossil herbivores and a Neanderthal. Large intra-tooth variations in the oxygen isotopic composition (up to 9⁰/₀₀) were observed in the enamel of herbivores from the Neanderthal fossil site of Payre, consistent with preservation of seasonal cyclicity. The range of isotopic compositions observed in Neanderthal tooth enamel was much smaller (~3&), possibly the result of a longer enamel maturation time averaging out variability. An archaeological otolith from a Preceramic site in Northern Peru exhibited marked changes in d18O over life, due either to the fish occasionally migrating from the sea to a lower salinity habitat, or to short-lived rises in sea water temperature. A fish otolith from Australia’s Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area showed clear seasonal variations, but also a general trend towards isotopically heavier and more saline water, as indicated by higher ᵹ¹⁸O and Sr/Ca values resulting from increased evaporation. The results of these case studies are compared to results of oxygen isotope analysis using more conventional methods and demonstrate the ability of the SHRIMP II to provide precise high spatial resolution in-situ oxygen isotope analyses of a variety of biogenic materials. This approach has major advantages over conventional methods. It can provide rapid, micro-scale isotopic analyses of sub-permil precision without the need for chemical preparation of the sample.