CHARACTERIZATION AND DATING OF RECENT AND FOSSIL BONE BY X-RAY-DIFFRACTION

Studies of bone chemistry are being used to reconstruct the habitat of ancient populations and it is therefore important that any post-mortem changes which may occur are as fully understood as possible. Here we address the associated problems of changes in bone crystallinity and the process of fossilization. We have examined a series of non-pathological bones ranging in age from modern to c. 2·8 Ma. Our results suggest that the older the bone the higher is its crystallinity and the sharper is its X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern; we suggest that this phenomenon could be used as a method for estimating the degree of fossilization and could perhaps also be developed as a method for relative dating. The technique is relatively rapid and economical to apply, uses equipment that is widely available and it is practically non-destructive so that it could be used on precious bones such as those of fossil humans. © 1992.