Infrared reflection spectrometry analysis as a non‐destructive method of characterizing minerals and stone materials in geoarchaeological and archaeometric applications

The purpose of this paper is to show the benefits and applications of using mid and far infrared reflection spectrometry (IRS) in the analysis of archaeological materials. Infrared spectral databases do not yet exist for rocks and principal minerals. In support of IRS techniques, a catalogue and new spectral database have been created with over 500 infrared reflection spectra in mid and far ranges from more than 250 different archaeological minerals and stone materials. The reflection spectrum serves as a “fingerprint” of all these materials. This new, non‐destructive method is useful for spectrometric identification and crystal chemical characterization of many rocks and minerals commonly found in archaeological contexts. Three brief examples of IRS analysis of archaeological materials are presented as test cases. It is suggested that IRS could and should become a routine approach in geoarchaeology and archaeometry for identification and provenance studies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A reinterpretation of the great pit at Hofstaðir,Iceland using sediment thin section micromorphology

The site at Hofstaðir in northeast Iceland has been central to the debate on pre-Christian Norse temples and temple-farm complexes throughout the Scandinavian world. Critical to an understanding of the site have been the various and conflicting interpretations of the great pit feature, which have included the hypotheses that it was intentionally made for the disposal of rubbish after temple feasts, that it was a cooking pit for large-scale food preparation within a temple–farm complex, and that it was the location of a rubbish tip for ordinary farmstead waste materials. In this article we test these competing hypotheses using the technique of thin section micromorphology. These analyses represent the first application of micromorphology to questions of archaeological site formation processes in Iceland, a volcanic island with commonly occurring Andisols. Although this soil type poses new challenges to archaeological soil micromorphology, it was found that pedofeatures, microstructures, and anthropogenic inclusions provide a basis for interpreting site formation processes on Andisols as on other soil types. We conclude that the pit feature had its origins as a sunken-featured building and that the hollow created by the building's abandonment and collapse was later filled with domestic farmstead waste. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Application of petrographic and geochemical methods to sourcing felsitic archaeological materials in Southeastern New England

At least four volcanic complexes of different age and petrologic character occur in southeastern New England. Each complex contains a variety of fine-grained felsitic rocks, and three of these are known to have been quarried by prehistoric people for material used in the production of stone tools. These volcanics include a Late Proterozoic calcalkaline suite (Lynn-Mattapan) and several alkaline suites of Ordovician to Carboniferous age (Blue Hill, Spencer Hill, and Wamsutta suites). Each suite exhibits unique petrographic and geochemical features that help to constrain sources of felsitic archaeological materials. Distinctive petrographic features are: (1) Lynn/Mattapan: mostly pyroclastic rocks that typically contain broken crystals, volcanic clasts, and relict pumice and glass shards; phenocrysts of plagioclase, quartz, and perthite, commonly in glomeroporphyritic clusters; accessory sphene and prominent late-stage epidote; some varieties exhibit distinct flow-banding. (2) Blue Hill and Spencer Hill rocks: mainly lava flows; abundant perthite and quartz phenocrysts, with minor or no plagioclase; accessory minerals may include fluorite, aegerine, riebeckite, zircon, and allanite. (3) Wamsutta rhyolite: phenocrysts solely of anorthoclase; quartz restricted to late-stage filling of vesicles, and to planar, subparallel fractures in-filled as lithophysae; lava flows with devitrified glass matrix. Major element geochemistry is of limited use in distinguishing the volcanic groups, but trace element signatures are distinct and provide excellent criteria to discriminate rocks from each suite. Compared to the Lynn/Mattapan suite, the Blue Hill and Spencer Hill rocks exhibit higher concentrations of Rb, Y, Zr, Nb, La, Ce and Zn, and lower concentrations of Sr and Ba. Wamsutta rhyolite is intermediate in composition, but distinct. Examination of material from six prehistoric quarries, and debitage collected at seven archaeological sites, demonstrates that most samples can be assigned to one of the above volcanic suites based on combined petrographic and geochemical attributes. These geologic attributes add a significant element of quantification to archaeological sourcing problems that lead to improved identification of materials compared to hand sample characterization alone. The volcanics from source areas proximal to the Boston basin were important to Early and Middle Archaic period populations across most of southeastern Massachusetts. During the Late/Terminal Archaic period, these materials were being transported extensively throughout eastern and southeastern Massachusetts, the Narragansett Bay area, and parts of Rhode Island. Thus, routinely applied geological methods can provide useful approaches to constrain the sources of felsites from southeastern New England found in archaeological contexts. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

基于卷积神经网络迁移学习模型的矿岩智能识别方法

文章基于Inception-v3卷积神经网络模型,通过对采集的金矿石、铜矿石、铁矿石、铅锌矿、花岗岩、片麻岩、大理岩和页岩,8种岩石453张图像进行特征提取和迁移学习,建立了岩性分类的迁移学习模型,实现了岩性的自动识别和分类。每种岩石图像随机抽取4张作为测试集进行测试,剩余421张图像作为训练集参加训练,经测试全部图像的岩性分类结果均正确,识别正确率超过80%的岩石图像占测试集图像总数的90%以上。识别正确率未达到80%的图像经过处理后重新训练并测试,其识别正确率均超过了80%,表明了该模型具有良好的岩性识别能力且鲁棒性较好,为岩性识别和自动分类提供了一种新的智能分析方法。     

关于求解碾磨机运动问题的相关讨论

针对关于求解碾磨机上一点运动的速度及加速度的问题展开讨论,从运动的不同角度考虑,给出了n种不同的解法。并将此问题拓展到一般情况下进行讨论,得出正确结论。并就一些相关问题进行了分析和解释。     

3种经典机器学习算法在火山岩测井岩性识别中的对比

岩性识别一直是火山岩油气勘探中的重要课题,基于测井数据的岩性识别也逐渐成为火山岩研究的需要,大数据背景下的机器学习算法为测井岩性识别提供了一个新方向。为提高某研究区火山岩岩性识别符合率,本文采用K近邻、支持向量机和自适应增强3种经典机器学习算法,对研究区内的粗面岩、非致密粗面岩、辉绿岩、辉长岩、玄武岩和非致密玄武岩等6类中基性火山岩进行岩性识别。从常规测井系列中优选对研究区岩性敏感的自然伽马、声波时差、补偿中子、深侧向电阻率和补偿密度等5种测井参数作为岩性识别模型的输入向量,从研究区内5口有岩心样品或薄片鉴定资料的目标层中选取测井数据点1 440个,其中960个作为训练样本,其余480个作为测试样本。以识别符合率和时间作为评价指标,对3种算法的识别结果进行对比分析,实验表明：自适应增强算法的分类准确率最高,6类岩性平均识别符合率达到82.10%;支持向量机算法表现良好,平均识别符合率为81.04%;K近邻算法平均识别符合率为76.04%。     

海南岛不同地质背景下的土壤类型、质量特征和作物适宜性

文章利用海南岛SOTER数据库及自动土地评价模型ALES评价结果,对海南岛4种主要母岩上发育的土壤类型、土壤性质及香蕉种植适宜性与母质的关系进行了分析。海南岛不同母岩上土壤类型的发育呈现多样性,土壤类型的分布明显受到母岩类型、成土年龄、成土环境等因素的影响。酸性火成岩上主要发育有雏形土和富铁土,基性岩上则主要是发育良好的铁铝土,碎屑岩上主要是雏形土,而海相沉积物由于土壤形成时间的差异出现了多样的土壤类型。在海南岛湿热的气候条件下,原生母岩上发育的土壤,尽管成土母岩成分各不相同,但一些土壤性质已经没有明显差别,如交换性钙、镁、钠等,部分土壤化学性质如交换性钾的含量继承了母岩特性。各种母岩上发育的土壤,在自然条件下,适宜香蕉种植的比例都很低,但基性火成岩和海积物上发育的土壤,更容易受到人为管理措施的影响,如果满足一定的技术和经济投入,海南岛热带作物的种植潜力可以得到进一步的挖掘。     

Thermal decay of carbonate dimension stones: fabric,physical and mechanical changes

This paper deals with the effects of thermal stresses on selected carbonate rocks used as dimension stones. They are Mesozoic calcareous and dolomitic rocks cropping out in Apulia (southern Italy) that, for their physico-mechanical and aesthetic properties, have always been finding a large application both as ornamental stones and as simple construction materials; their use is attested not only in Italy, in works of archaeological, historical and artistic interest too. The cause–effect relationships of thermal degradation were studied by means of an artificial accelerated ageing test, in order to provide a perspective about the decay of carbonate stones due to diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuations, as well as thermal shocks during events of fire development. The stone samples were subjected to thermal cycles in a muffle furnace, ranging from 100 to 700 °C; after each cycle, several non-destructive and semi-destructive tests were carried out: mass and volume measurements, mercury intrusion porosimetry, sclerometer tests, ultrasonic tests, thin-section observations and determination of chromatic alterations through image analysis and Munsell charts method. In this way, the qualitative and quantitative modifications induced in fabric, physical and mechanical properties were discussed. The results highlight the fundamental role of depositional and diagenetic fabric that, together with mineralogical composition, represents the most significant discriminating factor in the response of the stone to thermal stresses.     

Principal stages in geological evolution of Ukrainian shield

The first attempt at coordination of the newest geochronological findings with identifiable petrographic complexes within the Ukrainian Shield, here seen as products of geosynclinal evolution and of granitization (in the modern sense), suggests the following characteristic traits of the Precambrian evolution of the earth's crust: an arrest of the upper Archean geosynclinal cycle (the second one of the three) in its initial or early stages; a general non-inversion of geosyncline; a very high geothermal gradient and hence the cardinal role of granitization and the "universality" - involvement of practically all kinds of rocks - of the regional metamorphism. The Shield has behaved as a platfomal entity ever since the end of its last (lower Proterozoic) geosynclinal cycle. The author's historical analysis of the Shield, as distinct from the still current stratigraphic representations, is based among other things on the recognized independence of metamorphic facies from stratigraphic as well as structural boundaries, identifications of formations corresponding to definite stages and zones of the geosynclinal evolution, correlations of geochronological data with petrographic varieties of rocks and with their spatial distribution, examination of migmatites and granitoids from the viewpoints of ultrametamorphism and granitization, proofs of the function of deep fissuring in the character of sedimentation and intrusive activities, and plane analysis of folded structures. Metallogenic analysis of the Shield is facilitated by such identifications and correlations, inasmuch as migrations and accumulations of ore constituents and others were definitely associated with granitization activities. — V. P. Sokoloff     

Identifying remains of extinct kangaroos in Late Pleistocene deposits using collagen fingerprinting

Our knowledge of past animal populations, including the geographical ranges of extinct species, has largely been derived from morphological analyses of skeletal fossil remains. However, a major barrier to the identification of the remains of extinct megafaunal species in archaeological and palaeontological sites is the highly fragmented nature of the material, which often precludes confident taxonomic identifications based on morphology. Biomolecular techniques are able to go beyond these limitations and are increasingly being used to make such identifications. Protein analysis offers a promising alternative to DNA techniques because they can be much cheaper, more amenable to high‐throughput processing and work on much older specimens. Here we demonstrate the potential of collagen fingerprinting in an Australian context by extracting collagen from 50‐ka kangaroo fossils from two caves in Tasmania, and identify several species including the extinct short‐faced kangaroo Simosthenurus occidentalis . Importantly, of the five fossil bones sampled that had hitherto been ascribed morphology‐based identifications below the family level, three had been incorrectly identified during an initial assessment of photographs taken in the field. Our results highlight the utility of using protein‐based methods for making genus‐level identification of marsupial bone, especially those that may form a basis for broader arguments such as that of late‐surviving megafaunal species.

     

The biosphere: A homogeniser of Pb-isotope signals

Rock, soil, and plant (terrestrial moss, European mountain ash leaves, mountain birch leaves, bark and wood, and spruce needles and wood) samples, collected at 3 km intervals along a 120 km long transect (40 sites) cutting the city of Oslo, Norway, were analysed for their Pb concentration and Pb-isotope ratios. A general decrease in ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁷Pb and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁸Pb ratios, with a characteristic low variability in all plant materials and the plant-derived O-horizon of soil profiles, compared to rocks and mineral soils, is observed along the transect. It is demonstrated that minerogenic and biogenic sample materials belong to two different spheres, the lithosphere and biosphere, and that geochemical processes determining their chemical and isotopic compositions differ widely. Background variation for both sample materials needs to be established and documented at the continental and global scale before the anthropogenic influence on the geochemistry of the earth’s surface can be reliably estimated.     

机器学习在岩矿地球化学研究中的应用——综述与思考

岩石与矿物的地球化学成分数据具有高维度特征。传统的岩矿地球化学成分研究主要采用二元/三元图解判别法,准确率不高,在数理统计方法上有欠缺。机器学习方法非常适用于对大样本高维度的岩矿成分数据进行数理统计处理。本文在介绍机器学习常见算法基本原理的基础上,总结近5年来国内外学者将机器学习方法应用于岩石矿物成分数据研究的实例,包括：① 根据矿物成分溯源其母岩（源岩）、判别矿床类型,② 新生代火山岩溯源,③ 判别变质岩原岩,④ 依据岩浆岩成分判别大地构造环境等。已有的研究实例显示,机器学习方法的准确度明显优于传统的低维度判别法。机器学习本质是分析大样本数据的高维度变量之间的相关、归类等多元统计问题。推广机器学习的应用需要建设开放获取（Open Access）的矿物、岩石成分数据库,同时全面实施开放研究（Open Research）的发表策略。     

Impact of sample size on geotechnical probabilistic model identification

This paper aims to investigate the impact of sample size on geotechnical probabilistic model identification. First, the copula approach is presented to model the bivariate distribution of geotechnical parameters. Thereafter, the AIC scores are adopted to identify the best-fit marginal distribution and copula. Second, the variation of AIC scores because of small sample size is investigated using simulated data. Finally, the impact of the variation of AIC scores on identification of the best-fit marginal distribution and copula is examined. The minimum sample sizes for geotechnical data are also suggested to obtain a correct identification of the probabilistic models. The results indicate that the AIC scores estimated from a small sample exhibit large variation. The variation of the AIC scores has a significant impact on probabilistic model identification. The marginal distributions and copulas have a low percentage of correct identification when sample size is small. The percentages of correct identification for the marginal distributions and copulas increase with increasing sample size. The correlation coefficient between geotechnical parameters has a much larger impact on probabilistic model identification than the COV of geotechnical parameters. The suggested minimum sample sizes for geotechnical data are useful for guiding practical geotechnical site investigation.     

Formation processes of cemented features in karstic cave sites revealed using stable oxygen and carbon isotopic analyses: A case study at middle paleolithic Amud Cave,Israel

Hearths are important archaeological features, serving to infer past practices related to hominin subsistence and social behaviors. The identification of hearths is not always straightforward due to post‐depositional processes. In karstic cave environments in particular it is not always easy to distinguish, in the field or in the laboratory, between geogenic and anthropogenic cemented features because both are composed of calcite. Here we present a novel study in which bulk oxygen and carbon isotopic analyses were used in order to unequivocally identify anthropogenic calcite derived from hearths in the Neanderthal site of Amud Cave (Israel). We demonstrate that the isotopic composition of wood ash is distinctively different from that of geogenic calcite. The linear relationship observed between carbon and oxygen isotopic compositions of the various sediment types in Amud Cave is interpreted as a mixing line between wood ash and geogenic calcite, thus enhancing our understanding of the origins of sedimentological variability at the site and showing that not all of the cemented sediments in Amud Cave should be regarded as hearths. Our study suggests that the relative abundance of validated hearths in the various areas of the cave may be associated with Neanderthal use of space in Amud Cave. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The Dynamics of Small Postglacial Lake Basins and the Nature of Their Archaeological Record: A Case Study of the Middle Palaeolithic Site Neumark‐Nord 2, Germany

Due to favorable conditions of preservation, sedimentary basins provide rich records of human behavior and its environmental context. The conditions for the preservation of archaeological material however vary between basin types (large, river‐fed or small, closed basins), while conditions also differ within a particular basin environment. The goal of this paper is to understand how the dynamics of a small postglacial basin such as Neumark‐Nord 2, a context that dominates the Eemian archaeological record, affected the archaeology situated at its basin margin. The approach used here is to correlate the archaeological record with reconstructions of patterns of deposition and the water conditions within the basin, using lithology, micromorphology, pollen, and macroremains from a transect running from the basin center to the margin. The results show that (1) find levels were exposed to overland flow‐induced winnowing, which vertically concentrated finds but did not cause significant transport, (2) find levels correspond to phases of increased water presence in the basin, and (3) lateral shifts in hominin activity areas may reflect adjustments in the water level. The research shows the importance of large‐scale archaeological excavations and a multidisciplinary sampling strategy that covers both the basin center and the margins, when studying postglacial basin localities like Neumark‐Nord 2.     

内蒙古中部大青山新地沟绿岩带型金矿的成矿时代

内蒙古新地沟金矿床产于大青山太古宙花岗岩-绿岩带中,受色尔腾山群柳树沟组中基性火山岩系和韧性剪切带控制.容矿岩石主要是变安山质-英安质火山岩类.为解决主矿体的形成时代,采用石英40Ar/39Ar法,直接测定了含金石英细脉浸染状矿石中石英的形成时代,结果表明新地沟金矿的形成时代为1991.43～1988.93Ma.由此提出新地沟金矿的成因主要与吕梁期韧性剪切带中的变质变形作用有关.     

华北克拉通南缘四十里长山地区中生代脉岩的锆石 U-Pb 定年及成因初探

华北克拉通南缘四十里长山地区岩浆活动弱,仅发育中生代脉岩,因此缺乏对形成时代和岩浆作用的研究。本文依据四十里长山地区脉岩的锆石LA-ICPMS U-Pb定年结果和全岩元素地球化学分析确定其形成时代及成因。四十里长山地区脉岩由基性、酸性两个端元组成,按岩性可分为煌斑岩脉岩、花岗斑岩脉岩及正长岩类脉岩,其侵位年龄分别为：80.9±1.8 Ma、86.1±1.0 Ma和85.6±1.0 Ma,构成一套晚白垩世双峰式侵入岩组合。四十里长山地区基性煌斑岩起源于富集大陆岩石圈地幔的部分熔融岩浆,内含416 Ma左右的继承性锆石和偏钠质的煌斑岩,暗示了地幔源区含俯冲扬子陆壳的混入岩和软流圈地幔的改造;酸性脉岩属于A型花岗质岩石,起源于底侵的幔源基性岩浆诱发地壳物质部分熔融形成的壳源酸性岩浆以及它们的混合岩浆。中国东部乃至东北亚地区晚白垩世火成岩的空间展布特征证实,四十里长山地区双峰式脉岩的形成与太平洋板块向欧亚大陆下俯冲作用相联系,其形成于类似弧后盆地的板内伸展环境。     

Optimization of closed-form test tasks used in computer systems for examination

This paper discusses the optimization of closed-form test tasks containing one question and several answers with only one being correct. For this purpose, the effects of several test task parameters on the possibility of getting the lowest passing score by students with insufficient knowledge of the subject have been studied. The appropriateness of such tests for some types of examination has been shown. An algorithm for determining the optimal number of answers in the test and the number of test tasks used for examination is suggested.