Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Kirkland, Brenda L.

Committee Member

Grimes, Craig

Committee Member

Peacock, Evan

Date of Degree

5-12-2012

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Geosciences

Degree Name

Master of Science

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Geosciences

Abstract

This study considers the chemical alteration of archaeological freshwater shell above the water table at Lyon's Bluff, located in east-central Mississippi, changes in trace element concentrations between unfired and fired shell, and the effect bacteria have on archaeological freshwater shell. Thin-section petrography, X-ray diffraction, cathodoluminescence, and scanning electron microscopy were conducted on archaeological shell from four layers from Unit 20N20W, with a depth of 80 cm spanning 450 years. ICP-MS analysis was also conducted on a modern freshwater shell. Results of the microscopy indicate pristine crystal structure. ICP-MS data show that certain trace elements within the shell maintain their concentration after firing at 500°C. The broader implications are: 1) that diagenetic alteration does not hinder chemical sourcing of shell at Lyon’s Bluff, and 2) that certain trace elements are more reliable than others, namely Sr2+, Al2+, Ba2+, and Mn2+, when conducting provenance studies on shell temper.

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11668/17669

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