Physical-chemical characterization of sediments from Lapa Grande de Taquaracu archaeological site, MG

In this project the elemental concentrations of Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Lu, Na, Nd, Rb, Sc, Sm, Ta, Tb, Th, U, Yb and Zn were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) in 60 sediment samples from Lapa Grande de Taquaracu archaeological site, located in MG State. The samples were provided by Dr. Astolfo Gomes de Mello Araujo from the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of Sao Paulo. This site is a palaeoindian rockshelter located near Lagoa Santa karst with characteristics which could be used to test karst abandonment model during the Middle Holocene related to dry conditions. The results of elemental concentrations, interpreted by multivariate statistical analysis, showed the formation of three different compositional and well-defined groups. The variable selection study by means of Procrusts analysis was also carried out. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were also performed in 8 samples to study their mineralogical composition and they showed that there are distinctions in crystalline structure between the samples of the three elemental compositional groups, being quartz, calcite, dolomite and mica the main crystalline phases present in the samples. (author)