A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.

Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human skeletal remains is an important method in archaeology to examine past human mobility and landscape use. 87Sr/86Sr signatures of a given location are largely determined by the underlying bedrock, and these geology specific isotope signatures are incorp...

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Main Authors: Eden Washburn, Jason Nesbitt, Bebel Ibarra, Lars Fehren-Schmitz, Vicky M Oelze
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://escholarship.org/content/qt6t60923n/qt6t60923n.pdf?t=qs5r6b
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author Eden Washburn
Jason Nesbitt
Bebel Ibarra
Lars Fehren-Schmitz
Vicky M Oelze
author_facet Eden Washburn
Jason Nesbitt
Bebel Ibarra
Lars Fehren-Schmitz
Vicky M Oelze
author_sort Eden Washburn
collection DOAJ
description Strontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human skeletal remains is an important method in archaeology to examine past human mobility and landscape use. 87Sr/86Sr signatures of a given location are largely determined by the underlying bedrock, and these geology specific isotope signatures are incorporated into skeletal tissue through food and water, often permitting the differentiation of local and non-local individuals in past human populations. This study presents the results of a systematic survey of modern flora and fauna (n = 100) from 14 locations to map the bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr signatures of the Conchucos region, an area where the extent of geologic variability was previously unknown. We illustrate the necessity to examine the variation in 87Sr/86Sr values of the different geological formations available to human land use to document the range of possible local 87Sr/86Sr values. Within the Conchucos region we found significant variation in environmental 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7078-0.7214). The resulting isoscape represents the largest regionally specific bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr map (3,840 km2) to date for the Andes, and will serve as a baseline for future archaeological studies of human mobility in this part of the Peruvian highlands.
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spelling doaj-art-8babb0e919c042e98ae9625e347a175f2025-08-20T02:17:49ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01163e024820910.1371/journal.pone.0248209A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.Eden WashburnJason NesbittBebel IbarraLars Fehren-SchmitzVicky M OelzeStrontium isotope (87Sr/86Sr) analysis of human skeletal remains is an important method in archaeology to examine past human mobility and landscape use. 87Sr/86Sr signatures of a given location are largely determined by the underlying bedrock, and these geology specific isotope signatures are incorporated into skeletal tissue through food and water, often permitting the differentiation of local and non-local individuals in past human populations. This study presents the results of a systematic survey of modern flora and fauna (n = 100) from 14 locations to map the bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr signatures of the Conchucos region, an area where the extent of geologic variability was previously unknown. We illustrate the necessity to examine the variation in 87Sr/86Sr values of the different geological formations available to human land use to document the range of possible local 87Sr/86Sr values. Within the Conchucos region we found significant variation in environmental 87Sr/86Sr values (0.7078-0.7214). The resulting isoscape represents the largest regionally specific bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr map (3,840 km2) to date for the Andes, and will serve as a baseline for future archaeological studies of human mobility in this part of the Peruvian highlands.https://escholarship.org/content/qt6t60923n/qt6t60923n.pdf?t=qs5r6b
spellingShingle Eden Washburn
Jason Nesbitt
Bebel Ibarra
Lars Fehren-Schmitz
Vicky M Oelze
A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.
PLoS ONE
title A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.
title_full A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.
title_fullStr A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.
title_full_unstemmed A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.
title_short A strontium isoscape for the Conchucos region of highland Peru and its application to Andean archaeology.
title_sort strontium isoscape for the conchucos region of highland peru and its application to andean archaeology
url https://escholarship.org/content/qt6t60923n/qt6t60923n.pdf?t=qs5r6b
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