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Morphological and Chemical Analyses of Manganese Dioxide Accretions on Mexican Ceramics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Caitlin R. O'Grady
Caitlin R. O'Grady*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
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Abstract

Microscopic analysis of West Mexican ceramics (dating between in the collection of the Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has established five different morphological types of manganese dioxide (MnO2) accretions. The accretions result mostly from a combination of bacterial and weathering activity in post-depositional contexts. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive x-ray analysis (SEM-EDS) and x-ray fluorescence (XRF) were successful; whereas microchemical spot tests, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy proved inconclusive in the identification and differentiation of the five morphologies. Accretion morphology and substrate characteristics, together, suggest scenarios for the mechanism of formation and offer a qualitative tool for authentication. Accretions were documented using photomicrography, categorized based on empirical observations; sampled and analyzed using SEM-EDS and ND-XRF.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 852 , 2004 , OO8.7
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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References

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