0000000000759558
AUTHOR
Michael Brauns
Electrochemical dating of archaeological gold based on refined peak current determinations and Tafel analysis
Abstract This report proposes a refined method to date archaeological gold samples based on the Tafel analysis of the ascending part of voltammetric curves corresponding to the oxidation of surface flakes of gold in contact with hydrochloric acid aqueous electrolyte. This allows estimating the equilibrium potential of gold oxidation correcting for irreversibility effects. This equilibrium potential can be correlated with the coverage of adsorbed oxygen species and hence the estimated age of the gold samples. A satisfactory potential/time calibration graph was constructed from a set of archaeological samples including two sets of samples from the Mapungubwe Gold Collection, South Africa (120…
Direct dating of gold by radiogenic helium: Testing the method on gold from Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil
New analytical developments have made radiogenic helium ( 4 He) applicable to archeological gold artifacts for age determinations. Here we report the application of the U/Th– 4 He method to the direct dating of gold from the historically important gold deposit in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil. The U/Th– 4 He age of 515 ± 55 Ma for the Diamantina gold is corroborated by a new U/Pb age of 524 ± 16 Ma for rutile recovered from auriferous pockets. These ages tie the Diamantina gold mineralization to the Brasiliano orogenic event, in the context of the Gondwana amalgamation. Our results indicate that U/Th– 4 He dating of gold is possible, opening new perspectives for the dating of gold deposi…