PDFs of the full
reports are linked in at the bottom of this page.
2-8-S-18
From Report 71:
FTIR analysis of the beige concretion revealed
that it is predominately composed of calcium carbonate/chalk/calcite
although a small amount of hydrocarbon impurity is also present.
The micro-tubule nature of the concretion and its composition
suggest that it is some form of marine life shell or exoskeleton. Typically
these are composed of another form of calcium carbonate (aragonite),
but pseudomorphic transformations between calcite and aragonite
forms of calcium carbonate do occur. Calcite is typically of
terrestrial origin while aragonite is the calcium carbonate that
forms corals and shells, and so the possibility that this is
an exoskeleton of a terrestrial organism cannot be ruled out.
Results and Conclusions
The beige concretion is composed of microtubules of calcite,
a form of calcium carbonate typically associated with terrestrial
organisms, but the concretion could have been formed from a marine
organism exoskeleton and then undergone a pseudomorphic change
to calcite.
Interpretation:
WHAT
We don’t yet know exactly what this is, but it seems safe to say
it is not of human origin.
Object Descriptions and Reason for Analysis
• OBJECT DESCRIPTION (form, material, color, etc): The
object submitted for analysis is
archaeological material excavated from the Republic of Kiribati.
It is an unknown beige concretion.
• REASON FOR ANALYSIS: Could this object have an early
twentieth-century American
provenance? Could it have been manufactured prior to 7/2/37?
What is the beige concretion and does it have any relevance
to anthropogenic activity at the site?
• SAMPLING: All samples for chemical analysis were transferred
to glass containers to prevent
contamination prior to analysis. All other analyses were performed
nondestructively.
• ANALYSIS PROTOCOL: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
(FTIR) was used to identify the molecular composition of the beige
object.
Click HERE for a PDF of Report
71. (2.1 MB)
Click HERE for a PDF of Report 88. (2.2 MB)
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