Traditions and transitions in Korean bronze technology

Metallurgical examination of Korean bronze artifacts shows that a technical tradition based on casting and use of leaded high-tin alloys was established in Korea at the early stages of bronze use. After the subsequent discovery of quenching methods that suppress formation of the brittle δ phase, new thermo-mechanical techniques were introduced between the 7th and 10th centuries AD. Lead-free alloys were used, and tin contents near that of the peritectic point in the Cu–Sn phase diagram were chosen. Leaded high tin alloys continued in use, but only in cast objects, and with significant composition variation. The unique conditions during the time of innovation suggest that the transition to new metallurgical techniques was gradually achieved through domestic technical innovation inspired by external influences.     

Geochemical fingerprinting of hydraulic fracturing fluids from Qusaiba Hot Shale and formation water from Paleozoic petroleum systems,Saudi Arabia

Provenance studies of produced water are essential to trace flow dynamics and reservoir compartmentalization in petroleum systems and to quantify fluid recovery rates from unconventional fracturing. Produced water from a hydraulically fractured well in the Qusaiba Hot Shale in the Northern Exploration Area, Saudi Arabia, was daily monitored and analyzed for water chemistry, and environmental (δ²H, δ¹³C, δ¹⁸O_H2O, δ¹⁸O_SO4, δ³⁴S_SO4, δ³⁷Cl, ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) and cosmogenic isotopes (³H, ¹⁴C, ³⁶Cl), to differentiate from reference fluids of supply water, fracturing fluids, and formation water from adjacent Paleozoic units. Initially, recovered water is composed of fracturing fluids and subsequently replaced by a homogeneous cut of pristine formation water. Formation water is composed of dominant meteoric water (approximately 84 vol%) and minor fossil evaporated seawater. The young ¹⁴C‐apparent age between 6000 and 6700 years BP and depleted δ¹⁸O/δ²H values for the meteoric component confirm the infiltration of surface water into the Qusaiba Hot Shale interval or adjacent units during the Early Holocene Pluvial Period under cooler and wetter climatic conditions than present, which suggest the presence of a very recent, dynamic hydraulic flow system. ³⁶Cl/Cl ratios between 102 × 10^?15 and 31 × 10^?15 are ambiguous and can be attributed to atmospheric recharge close to the coast, mixing of ³⁶Cl‐enriched Quaternary meteoric recharge with ³⁶Cl‐depleted fossil seawater, and/or hypogene production by U‐Th‐enriched host rock. Produced waters from Qusaiba Hot Shale are within the compositional range of Na‐Cl‐type formation water from Paleozoic reservoir units in northern Saudi Arabia with salinities from 30 000 to 130 000 mg l^?1. As a novel technological approach for exploration wells in Northern Saudi Arabia, multi‐isotopic methods were successfully implemented to quantify flowback volumes from hydraulic fracturing, and to fingerprint pristine formation water or pore water in Paleozoic systems on their provenance, residence time, migration pathways, and secondary alteration processes.     

New Data on the Soda Flux Used in the Production of Iznik Glazes and Byzantine Glasses

Previous research has shown that Iznik glazes are characterized by low potash and magnesia contents. It was therefore suggested that the flux used was either a purified plant ash or some unidentified mineral source of soda. More recently, as a result of the detection of small, but significant, amounts of boron and lithium in Byzantine glasses from western Turkey, which also exhibit low potash and magnesia contents, it has been suggested that the source of the flux used was a soda‐rich evaporite associated in some way with the extensive borax deposits in the region. LA–ICP–MS has been used to establish that Iznik glazes also contain similarly small amounts of boron and lithium. The Na/K, Na/Mg, Na/Ca and Na/B ratios for these Iznik glazes are shown to be comparable to the equivalent ratios calculated from published data for waters from a range of Na–HCO₃ type hot springs in western Turkey, with the closest match being to the hot springs around Afyon‐Gazligöl, which is consistent with documentary evidence. It is therefore proposed that the soda‐rich salts produced by evaporating water from these springs to dryness would have provided the flux required for the production of Iznik glazes and high‐boron Byzantine glasses.     

烫蜡法复原硬黄纸的初步研究

硬黄纸是唐代出现的涂蜡色纸,具有色黄、光亮、半透明、防蛀抗水、质地硬密、可长久保存等特点.为了解硬黄纸的制作方法和其定量、光滑度、渗墨性等各种性能,本研究采用文献研究和模拟实验的方法,尝试对硬黄纸进行模拟复原,并检测复原的硬黄纸的部分性能,以进一步研究其加工方式.本研究的结果对硬黄纸的加工方法及其性能研究有一定的价值.     

云南昆明石寨山出土汉代青铜器的初步分析

云南昆明的石寨山墓葬是汉代滇池区域的土著文化,为了了解该地汉代铜器的制作工艺水平,本研究通过金相显微镜观察、扫描电镜及能谱分析的现代分析手段来对M3、M5、M6、M7、M10、M12这6个墓葬群的31件青铜器展开探讨。结果显示在31件铜器样品中,有30件为铜锡合金,1件为红铜,所有器物均为铸造,其中有1件铜戈的刃部经历过热锻加工。这一分析结果丰富了石寨山文化的铜器研究,为器物的保护修复提供科学依据,同时也为云南汉代时期的铜器考古学以及金属技术史补充部分资料。