TRACE ELEMENTS IN ZONAL OLIVINE OF BRONZE AGE METALLURGICAL SLAGS, SOUTH URALS

Abstract

Metallurgical artifacts including Cu-bearing slag fragments were found in the Bronze Age settlements of the South Urals. The slags from settlements of the Sintashta culture (Kamenny Ambar, Ustye and Sarym-Sakly) are mainly composed of olivine, magnetite and glass like phase of ultramafic composition with rare inclusions of metallic copper and relict quartz, chrome spinels and serpentinites clasts. Olivine is major rock-forming mineral of slags. The mineral is zonal: its central part is characterized by elevated amount of forsterite end-member with dominant Co and Ni; fayalite endmember is dominant in the periphery and contains higher contents of other elements. The glass is characterized by higher Li, Ca, Al, Na, K, Sc, Ti, Ga, Nb, P, Pb, Rb, Sr, Ba, Zr, U and REE contents indicating specific crystallization conditions, protolith composition and fluxes used. Using LA-ICPMS mapping, the zonal distribution of major and trace elements of olivine crystals is studied in detail and crystallization scheme of metallurgical slags was identified.

Keywords

• metallurgical slags
• bronze age
• sintashta culture
• ultrabasic rocks
• olivine
• la-icpms
• trace elements