The capability of Rare Earth Elements geochemistry to interpret complex archaeological stratigraphy

Abstract In this study rare earth elements (REE) signatures (REE ratios, cerium and europium anomalies) are applied to a complex soil stratigraphic sequence from the site of Konso, Ethiopia, with the aim of determining whether REE can distinguish the strata observed in the field. Forty soil samples were taken from a depositional sequence that includes overlapping human induced and ‘natural’ erosional and depositional processes. The samples were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine trace elements and REE, with concentrations of major elements determined using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Cluster Analyses (CA) were used to observe differences between str…