EDXRF and multivariate statistical analysis of fragments from Marajoara ceramics

In this work, 102 fragments of Marajoara ceramics, belonging to the National Museum collection (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), were analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) and principal component analysis (PCA) in order to identify possible groups of samples that present similar behaviors or different characteristics. This information will give an important aid to a more accurate classification of these artifacts. The EDXRF measurements were carried out with a portable system developed in the Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory consisting of an Oxford TF3005 X-ray tube, with W anode, and an Si-PIN XR-100CR detector from Amptek, working at 25 kV and 100 RA, acquisition time of 600 s and a beam collimation of 2 mm. PCA applied to the X-ray fluorescence results revealed a clear cluster separation to the samples. Copyright C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.