Stable Lead Isotope Analysis of Rio Grande Glaze Paints and Ores Using ICP-MS: A Comparison of Acid Dissolution and Laser Ablation Techniques

High resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analyses of stable lead isotopes in Rio Grande glaze paints and New Mexico lead ores (galena) are compared using both acid dissolution and laser ablation techniques. These comparisons demonstrate that acid dissolution is preferable when more accurate measurements are required. In particular, acid dissolution with aqueous induction provided a better match between the archaeological glaze paints and their potential ore sources. However, these comparative studies also show that laser ablation may be an acceptable alternative for examining archaeological materials when the emphasis is on rapid, relatively non-destructive analyses of large data sets.