XRF Geochemical Analysis of the Ngandong Paleoanthropological Site in Java, Indonesia
Location
CSU Ballroom
Start Date
20-4-2015 2:00 PM
End Date
20-4-2015 3:30 PM
Student's Major
Chemistry and Geology
Student's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Mentor's Name
Maija Sipola
Mentor's Email Address
maija.sipola@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Chemistry and Geology
Mentor's College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Description
The Ngandong palaeoanthropological site in Central Java, Indonesia is located on a terrace above the Solo River and has produced fourteen Homo erectus fossils that, based on morphology, appear to be examples of recently-living Homo erectus. There is great interest in the age of these fossils, but efforts to date them directly have not been successful, and little is known about their stratigraphic context or the source of the sediments that contain them. Mineralogical and geochemical characterization of the Ngandong site stratigraphy can provide some insight into the processes that formed the site, as well as the source of the sediments. Previous geochemical analyses of bulk sediment samples using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) methods showed little variability within the site stratigraphy. This study applies a higher-resolution geochemical method (standard X-ray fluorescence) to these fossil-bearing deposits to better characterize the sediments and differentiate source rock types within the Solo River drainage system. Twenty sand samples from Ngandong were milled, prepared into pellets, and analyzed with a Rigaku Supermini200 XRF instrument. These geochemical data provide a high-resolution characterization of the Ngandong site stratigraphy and thereby improve our understanding of the Solo River paleoflow dynamics and depositional history.
XRF Geochemical Analysis of the Ngandong Paleoanthropological Site in Java, Indonesia
CSU Ballroom
The Ngandong palaeoanthropological site in Central Java, Indonesia is located on a terrace above the Solo River and has produced fourteen Homo erectus fossils that, based on morphology, appear to be examples of recently-living Homo erectus. There is great interest in the age of these fossils, but efforts to date them directly have not been successful, and little is known about their stratigraphic context or the source of the sediments that contain them. Mineralogical and geochemical characterization of the Ngandong site stratigraphy can provide some insight into the processes that formed the site, as well as the source of the sediments. Previous geochemical analyses of bulk sediment samples using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) methods showed little variability within the site stratigraphy. This study applies a higher-resolution geochemical method (standard X-ray fluorescence) to these fossil-bearing deposits to better characterize the sediments and differentiate source rock types within the Solo River drainage system. Twenty sand samples from Ngandong were milled, prepared into pellets, and analyzed with a Rigaku Supermini200 XRF instrument. These geochemical data provide a high-resolution characterization of the Ngandong site stratigraphy and thereby improve our understanding of the Solo River paleoflow dynamics and depositional history.
Recommended Citation
Weiss, Amanda and Melissa Kohout. "XRF Geochemical Analysis of the Ngandong Paleoanthropological Site in Java, Indonesia." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 20, 2015.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2015/poster_session_B/21
