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Strontium isoscapes for provenance, mobility and migration: the way forward
Maximilian J Spies1, Amanda Alblas2, Stanley H Ambrose3
1Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
Royal Society Open Science
|June 19, 2025
Summary
Strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) are valuable for tracing origins in biological materials. Creating accurate isoscapes requires careful consideration of sampling, methods, and potential errors for reliable provenance studies.
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry
- Ecology
- Biogeography
Background:
- Strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) are widely used for provenance determination across various scientific fields.
- Bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr variation across landscapes is crucial for applying this tool to biological materials, often modeled as isoscapes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize current understanding and provide guidance on creating and interpreting isoscapes of bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr.
- To address key concerns and potential challenges in isoscape development and application for biological provenance.
Main Methods:
- Discusses isoscape creation approaches: domain mapping, geostatistical contour mapping, and machine learning.
- Highlights the importance of selecting appropriate spatial resolution for isoscapes based on research questions.
- Considers the suitability of different sample materials (plants, fauna, soil leachates) and analytical challenges.
Main Results:
- Interpreting biological 87Sr/86Sr requires understanding strontium metabolism and tissue formation timing, which are often overlooked.
- Recognizes numerous error sources in isoscape development and application, emphasizing the need to avoid over-interpretation.
- Machine learning approaches are becoming more accessible for isoscape creation with available software.
Conclusions:
- Researchers studying provenance, mobility, and migration should develop isoscapes with appropriate resolution and consider all potential sources of error.
- Careful consideration of sampling, analytical methods, and biological factors is essential for robust bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr isoscapes.
- This work aims to assist researchers in creating reliable isoscapes for their specific provenance investigations.
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