Strontium Isotope Ratios

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Strontium Isotope ratios are used in archaeology to track human migration.86Sr abundance is constant, but 87Sr forms through decay of 87Rb in rock. Rock age and initial Rb/Sr ratios vary geographically, making87Sr/86Sr a location tracer. Strontium, weathered from bedrock into groundwater then taken up by flora and fauna, can substitute for Ca in tooth enamel. Enamel only forms during childhood, specifically the early first and second molars mineralize during early childhood; the third molar during late childhood/adolescence. Thus 87Sr/86Sr ratios reveal where individuals grew up. Archaeological samples are precious and scarce; mass spectrometers are ideally suited for measuring isotope ratios in such samples.
It was hypothesized that individuals

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