Ian:
Seems to me that there are two possible courses of action here:
1) develop one or more questions about trace element distributions in the soils of a particular area. Given the paucity of material on the subject (nothing jumps to mind), this might be difficult. You don't have the benefit of others' experience in sampling and interpreting results.
2) conduct exploratory data analysis; that is, develop a simple sampling method that isn't too labor intensive; map the results, including distributions of common and rare elements; look for patterns; then sample more intensively to test the patterns, perhaps using some sophisticated statistical techniques commonly available in statistics software packages, especially for covariance of two or more elements. The results may argue against the use of x-ray fluorescence for sampling soils on certain kinds of sites, but that is as well worth learning as where it is an effective tool. If it proves effective, then we can start developing it as a sampling tool for examining site structure and other matters, refining methods and further testing reliability on various site types.
Good luck and keep us abreast of developments.
Jim
James G. Gibb
Gibb Archaeological Consulting
2554 Carrollton Road
Annapolis, Maryland USA ?? 21403
443.482.9593 (Land) 410.693.3847 (Cell)
www.gibbarchaeology.net ? www.porttobacco.blogspot.com
On 02/25/14, Ian Springer<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
I am working on geochemical analysis of soils as part of my MA thesis at the University of Nevada, Reno, and I’m trying to find information on what has been done using XRF on soils, specifically in historical archaeology in the United States. I’ve searched as many relevant journals as I can find, but all of the published articles using XRF in the U.S. focus on artifacts, such as ceramics or spent rifle shells. I have found examples of the use of XRF on soils in Europe, but if it has been used in the U.S., it appears that nothing has been published in the literature that I have access to. Has anyone written about this as part of a CRM report, or perhaps a regional journal?
Here is a listing of what I have found so far:
Duran, A., et al.
2011 Analytical Study of Roman and Arabic Wall Paintings in the Patio De Banderas of Reales Alcazares' Palace Using Non-Destructive XRD/XRF and Complementary Techniques. Journal of Archaeological Science 38:2366-2377.
Gilbert, Allan S., Garman Harbottle, and Daniel deNoyelles
1993 A Ceramic Chemistry Archive for New Netherland/New York. Historical Archaeology 27(3):17-56.
Hein, Don, Gary Hill, and Ross H. Ramsay
2004 Raw or Pre-Fired: Kiln Construction at Sawankhalok, North Central Thailand, as a Guide to Ceramic History. International Journal of Historical Archaeology 8(4):247-266.
Milek, Karen B., and Howell M. Roberts
2013 Integrated Geoarchaeological Methods for the Determination of Site Activity Areas: A Study of a Viking Age House in Reykjavik, Iceland. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(4):1845-1865.
Neff, Hector, Barbara Voorhies, and Federico Paredes Umana
2012 Handheld XRF for Art and Archaeology. Volume 3. Leuven: Leuven University Press.
Owen, J. V., and Denise Hansen
1996 Compositional Constraints on the Identification of Eighteenth-Century Porcelain Sherds from Fort Beausejour, New Brunswick, and Grassy Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. Historical Archaeology 30(4):88-100.
Pearl, Frederic B., and Sandy Loiseau-Vonruff
2007 Father Julian Vidal and the Social transformation of a Small Polynesian Village (1787-1930): Historical Archaeology at Massacre Bay, American Samoa. International Journal of Historical Archaeology 11(1):32-59.
Shackel, Paul A., and Michael Roller
2012 The Gilded Age Wasn't So Gilded in the Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania. International Journal of Historical Archaeology 16(4):761-775.
Thomas, William J., et al.
1992 An X-Ray Fluorescence-Pattern Recognition Analysis of Pottery from an Early Historic Hispanic Settlement near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Historical Archaeology 26(2):24-36.
Any further suggestions would be appreciated,
Ian Springer
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