Statistical discrimination of Guatemalan jadeitite sources using LA-ICP-MS trace element and petrological data
Abstract
While tracing the geological provenance of Maya jadeitite-jade is key to understanding Mesoamerican exchange and extraction, distinguishing between the north (NMM) and south (SMM) Motagua sources presents significant challenges. This difficulty is due to shared mineralogical traits and the limitations of applying bulk whole rock trace element determination to invaluable archaeological objects. This study proposes an integrated statistical framework combining existing whole rock reference data with new Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) trace element measurements. We characterized 39 geological reference samples from both NMM and SMM, as well as 16 archaeological fragments from seven Maya sites. Despite complex multi-generation growth and local geochemical heterogeneities revealed by cathodoluminescence and LA-ICP-MS, a Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) model successfully discriminated between NMM and SMM sources 91.4% accuracy using eleven key trace elements (Th, Zn, La, Hf, Lu, Ce, Ni, Tm, Yb, Sr and Pr). Application of this model to archaeological samples suggests a predominant exploitation of NMM sources across the Maya Highlands, Lowlands, and Pacific coast. This approach validates LA-ICP-MS as a robust tool for jade provenance studies, overcoming the biases of accessory minerals inherent in whole rock analyses and offering a transferable strategy for archaeometric research.
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BibTeX
@article{hernandezmurillo2026statistical,
title = {{Statistical discrimination of Guatemalan jadeitite sources using LA-ICP-MS trace element and petrological data}},
author = {C. Hernández-Murillo and P. Münch and C. Barthelemy and P. Wiesen and R. Cameli Manzo and L.A. Romero and M.S. Alvarado Soto and J.A. de León Casprowitz and B. Arroyo and F. Gendron and M. Alvarado and S. Angiboust and M. Bonno and A. Iemmolo and J.M. Lardeaux and C. Martin and M. Etter and R. Dinnebier and M.L. Montero and D. Perla and C. Andrieu and M. Ménager},
journal = {Journal of Archaeological Science},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.jas.2026.106680},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05748440v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Statistical discrimination of Guatemalan jadeitite sources using LA-ICP-MS trace element and petrological data
AU - C. Hernández-Murillo
AU - P. Münch
AU - C. Barthelemy
AU - P. Wiesen
AU - R. Cameli Manzo
AU - L.A. Romero
AU - M.S. Alvarado Soto
AU - J.A. de León Casprowitz
AU - B. Arroyo
AU - F. Gendron
AU - M. Alvarado
AU - S. Angiboust
AU - M. Bonno
AU - A. Iemmolo
AU - J.M. Lardeaux
AU - C. Martin
AU - M. Etter
AU - R. Dinnebier
AU - M.L. Montero
AU - D. Perla
AU - C. Andrieu
AU - M. Ménager
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
JO - Journal of Archaeological Science
DO - 10.1016/j.jas.2026.106680
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05748440v1
AB - While tracing the geological provenance of Maya jadeitite-jade is key to understanding Mesoamerican exchange and extraction, distinguishing between the north (NMM) and south (SMM) Motagua sources presents significant challenges. This difficulty is due to shared mineralogical traits and the limitations of applying bulk whole rock trace element determination to invaluable archaeological objects. This study proposes an integrated statistical framework combining existing whole rock reference data with new Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) trace element measurements. We characterized 39 geological reference samples from both NMM and SMM, as well as 16 archaeological fragments from seven Maya sites. Despite complex multi-generation growth and local geochemical heterogeneities revealed by cathodoluminescence and LA-ICP-MS, a Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) model successfully discriminated between NMM and SMM sources 91.4% accuracy using eleven key trace elements (Th, Zn, La, Hf, Lu, Ce, Ni, Tm, Yb, Sr and Pr). Application of this model to archaeological samples suggests a predominant exploitation of NMM sources across the Maya Highlands, Lowlands, and Pacific coast. This approach validates LA-ICP-MS as a robust tool for jade provenance studies, overcoming the biases of accessory minerals inherent in whole rock analyses and offering a transferable strategy for archaeometric research.
SN - 0305-4403
SN - 1095-9238
ER -