A new piece of the puzzle: slag and ore analysis to reconstruct the prehispanic smelting technology at the Atacama Desert, Chile

Plaza, María Teresa; Garrido, Francisco; Larreina-García, David

doi:10.1186/s40494-023-01017-z

Heritage Science

Table 4 Bulk chemical composition of 18 slag samples from VC, by WD-XRF, organised by slag type (attached to rocks, clay or lumps) and id number

From: A new piece of the puzzle: slag and ore analysis to reconstruct the prehispanic smelting technology at the Atacama Desert, Chile

Samples	Slag	SiO₂	CuO	FeO	Al₂O₃	CaO	MgO	Na₂O	K₂O	TiO₂	ZnO	P₂O₅	As₂O₃	MnO	SO₃	Analytical total*	K-index
03 VCE	Rock	37.9	20.9	8.6	9.0	15.4	2.9	2.7	0.9	0.8	0.1	0.2	0.5	0.1	bdl	101.0	0.7
04 VCE	Rock	43.8	22.1	7.3	11.5	6.7	2.5	3.0	1.1	1.3	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.1	bdl	100.9	0.4
05 VCE	Clay	55.9	0.5	7.9	16.4	9.2	3.3	3.2	2.0	1.2	bdl	0.3	0.01	0.1	bdl	99.5	0.4
07 VCE	Clay	51.3	2.7	18.4	10.7	9.9	1.9	1.8	2.2	0.6	0.0	0.3	bdl	0.1	bdl	100.0	0.6
08 VCE	Clay	59.5	5.6	8.5	11.3	7.9	2.0	2.4	1.6	0.7	0.2	0.3	bdl	0.1	bdl	100.1	0.3
09 VCE	Clay	58.2	1.5	6.5	14.4	10.2	2.7	2.7	2.4	0.9	0.0	0.4	bdl	0.1	0.02	98.6	0.3
14 VCE	Clay	51.3	5.0	14.9	12.5	6.9	2.2	2.6	3.2	0.7	0.4	0.2	0.1	0.1	bdl	100.1	0.5
15 VCE	Clay	24.1	43.7	19.5	4.3	4.4	1.0	1.1	0.9	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.3	0.1	bdl	102.1	0.9
17 VCE	Clay	56.4	5.4	8.0	14.4	6.5	3.2	3.0	1.7	0.9	bdl	0.2	bdl	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.3
18 VCE	Clay	59.6	1.6	7.1	12.8	9.2	4.0	2.7	1.6	1.0	bdl	0.3	0.03	0.1	bdl	99.8	0.3
	Average	49.8	10.9	10.7	11.7	8.6	2.6	2.5	1.7	0.8	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.1
	SD	11.5	13.9	5.0	3.4	3.0	0.8	0.6	0.7	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.1
	Min	24.1	0.5	6.5	4.3	4.4	1.0	1.1	0.9	0.3	bdl	0.2	bdl	0.1	bdl
	Max	59.6	43.7	19.5	16.4	15.4	4.0	3.2	3.2	1.3	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.1	0.1
02 VCE	Lumps	11.2	54.9	26.2	0.6	5.3	bdl	0.5	0.1	bdl	0.2	0.1	0.5	0.02	0.3	102.3	2.7
06 VCE	Lumps	36.4	46.7	7.0	6.5	0.7	bdl	0.8	0.9	0.1	0.6	0.1	0.3	bdl	bdl	102.5	0.2
11 VCE	Lumps	17.4	59.1	15.4	3.1	1.9	bdl	0.8	0.6	0.1	1.0	0.1	0.5	bdl	bdl	103.0	0.9
12 VCE	Lumps	38.2	39.5	14.3	2.6	3.6	bdl	0.3	0.5	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.3	bdl	0.04	102.0	0.5
13 VCE	Lumps	45.9	21.5	14.8	6.8	6.2	0.8	0.7	2.7	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.03	bdl	100.0	0.5
16 VCE	Lumps	38.2	8.1	23.1	3.5	24.4	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.2	0.7	0.1	0.1	0.2	bdl	100.3	1.2
19 VCE	Lumps	52.1	22.9	6.9	10.1	1.4	0.3	4.6	0.9	0.5	bdl	0.1	0.1	bdl	bdl	101.0	0.2
20 VCE	Lumps	33.6	39.4	15.8	4.9	3.2	0.2	0.7	1.3	0.2	0.3	0.1	0.3	bdl	bdl	101.9	0.6
	Average	34.1	36.5	15.4	4.8	5.8	0.5	1.1	0.9	0.2	0.5	0.1	0.3	0.1	0.2
	SD	13.7	17.7	6.8	3.0	7.7	0.2	1.4	0.8	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.2	0.1	0.2
	Min	11.2	8.1	6.9	0.6	0.7	bdl	0.3	0.1	bdl	bdl	0.1	0.1	bdl	bdl
	Max	52.1	59.1	26.2	10.1	24.4	0.8	4.6	2.7	0.5	1.0	0.2	0.5	0.2	0.3
	Total Av	42.8	22.3	12.8	8.6	7.4	2.0	1.9	1.4	0.6	0.3	0.2	0.2	0.1	0.1
	SD	14.5	20.1	6.1	4.7	5.6	1.2	1.2	0.8	0.4	0.3	0.1	0.2	0.0	0.1
	Min	11.2	0.5	6.5	0.6	0.7	bdl	0.3	0.1	bdl	bdl	0.1	0.0	bdl	bdl
	Max	59.6	59.1	26.2	16.4	24.4	4.0	4.6	3.2	1.3	1.0	0.4	0.5	0.2	0.3

Data is normalised in wt% with oxygen added by stoichiometry, (*) analytical totals are given. Legend: bdl: below detection limit of the WD-XRF instrument (≤ 0.01 wt%); K-index: viscosity index. Sample 10VCE lacked enough material for WD-XRF analysis

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