Welcome to the Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR®
The Archaeometry Laboratory at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR®) provides geochemical analysis (i.e., chemical fingerprinting) of archaeological specimens for the purpose of determining their provenance (geologic source or production location) using the following analytical techniques: neutron activation analysis (NAA), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), including laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) and multi-collector ICP-MS (MC-ICP-MS), and Raman spectroscopy (RS). MURR® is the only archaeometry laboratory in the world providing access to all of these powerful analytical techniques. We specialize in the compositional analysis of archaeological ceramics, limestone and chert by NAA, and analysis of obsidian by XRF (and NAA as needed). If you have specific questions about our capabilities, please contact us.
Research performed by the Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR® after August 2022 is supported by the National Science Foundation under our current grant number 2208558. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.