Multi-elemental and Strontium-Neodymium Isotopic Signatures in Charred Wood: Potential for Wood Provenance Studies
2023
Štulc, Anna, Imbert | Poszwa, Anne | Ponton, Stéphane | Dupouey, Jean-Luc | Bouchez, Julien | Bardin, Jérémie | Delarue, Frédéric | Coubray, Sylvie | Lemoine, Michel | Rose, Christophe | Ruelle, Julien | Beuret, Maximilien | Nguyen Tu, Thanh Thuy | Dufraisse, Alexa | BioArchéologie, Interactions Sociétés Environnements (BioArch) ; Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements Continentaux (LIEC) ; Institut Ecologie et Environnement - CNRS Ecologie et Environnement (INEE-CNRS) ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Terre et Environnement de Lorraine (OTELo) ; Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | SILVA (SILVA) ; AgroParisTech-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE) | Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP (UMR_7154)) ; Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPG Paris)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité) | Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie - Paris (CR2P) ; Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | Milieux Environnementaux, Transferts et Interactions dans les hydrosystèmes et les Sols (METIS) ; École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) ; Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) | Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives - Centre de recherches archéologiques de Pantin (Inrap, Pantin) ; Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (Inrap)
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Show more [+] Less [-]English. The chemical composition of the wood reflects the composition of the soil over which the corresponding tree has developed. Multi-elemental and isotopic signatures, which are characteristic of the soil and underlying rock substrates, are potentially powerful tools for determining wood provenance. These tracers are of special interest for charred archaeological wood because they circumvent some limitations of dendrochronological provenancing linked to tree-ring loss. However, thermal degradation may introduce a significant bias in wood chemical and isotopic analyses. This experimental study focused on the effects of carbonization temperature on three geochemical wood markers: elemental signatures and isotopic signatures of strontium and neodymium (86Sr/87Sr and 143Nd/144Nd, respectively). Wood specimens from a variety of oak trees and stand locations were pyrolyzed at four temperatures (ranging from 200°C to 800°C) and analyzed using ICP-MS and µ-XRF (X-ray fluorescence) spectroscopy for elemental composition and with multiple collection ICP-MS (MC-ICP-MS) for strontium (Sr) and neodymium (Nd) isotope composition. The concentration of mineral nutrients generally increased with temperature, but the magnitude of the enrichment depended on the element, wood compartment (sapwood vs. heartwood), and geological substrate. The concentrations of rubidium, strontium, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and, to a lesser extent, calcium, were minimally affected by temperature, wood compartment, and substrate. The ratios between the concentrations of these elements, as well as the 86Sr/87Sr and 143Nd/144Nd isotope ratios, were stable over the entire temperature range. However, only 86Sr/87Sr and selected elemental ratios (calcium or magnesium normalized to manganese) were successful for site discrimination. Therefore, our multi-tracer approach provides promising new information to determine the provenance of charred archaeological wood
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