Strontium isoscapes for provenance, mobility and migration: the way forward

Maximilian J Spies¹, Amanda Alblas², Stanley H Ambrose³, Sarah Barakat⁴, Ramiro Barberena^{5

6}, Clément Bataille^{7

8}, Gabriel J Bowen⁹, Kate Britton⁴, Hayley Cawthra^{10

11}, Roger Diamond¹², Anthony Dosseto¹³, Jane A Evans¹⁴, Erich Fisher¹⁵, Kerryn Gray¹⁶, Phoebe Heddell-Stevens¹⁷, Emily Holt¹⁸, Hannah F James¹⁹, Anneke Janzen²⁰, Mael Le Corré²¹, Petrus le Roux¹⁶, Julia Lee-Thorp²², Alexander Mackay²³, Patricia J McNeill²⁴, Janet Montgomery²⁵, Bedone Mugabe¹, Vicky M Oelze²⁶, Michèle Pfab²⁷, Michael P Richards²⁸, Celeste T Samec²⁹, Francisca Santana-Sagredo³⁰, Alejandro Serna^{31

32}, Chris Stantis³³, Christophe Snoeck¹⁹, Brian Stewart³⁴, Cameron Stuurman², Damon Tarrant²⁸, Adam G West³⁵, Christine Winter-Schuh³⁶, Judith Sealy¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
² Division of Clinical Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
³ Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
⁴ Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
⁵ Centro de Investigación, Innovación y Creación (CIIC), Universidad Católica de Temuco Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Temuco, Araucania, Chile.
⁶ Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas (ICB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.
⁷ Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
⁸ Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
⁹ Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
¹⁰ Minerals and Energy Unit, Council for Geoscience, Cape Town, South Africa.
¹¹ African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa.
¹² Biogeochemistry Research Infrastructure Platform (BIOGRIP), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
¹³ Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁴ British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UK.
¹⁵ Centro Interdisciplinar de Arqueologia e Evolução do Comportamento Humano, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
¹⁶ Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
¹⁷ Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany.
¹⁸ School of History, Archaeology, and Religion, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
¹⁹ Department of Archaeology, Environmental Changes and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
²⁰ Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
²¹ BioArchéologie, Interactions Sociétés environnements (BioArch-UMR 7209), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
²² School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK.
²³ Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
²⁴ Paleoanthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
²⁵ Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK.
²⁶ Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
²⁷ South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Pretoria, South Africa.
²⁸ Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
²⁹ Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotópica (CONICET-UBA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
³⁰ Escuela de Antropología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
³¹ Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK.
³² División Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
³³ School of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA.
³⁴ Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
³⁵ Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
³⁶ Institute for Prehistory and Early History, Christian-Albrechts-University zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.

PMID: 40535935
PMCID: PMC12173513
DOI: 10.1098/rsos.250283

Review

Strontium isoscapes for provenance, mobility and migration: the way forward

Maximilian J Spies et al. R Soc Open Sci. 2025.

. 2025 Jun 18;12(6):250283.

doi: 10.1098/rsos.250283. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
² Division of Clinical Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa.
³ Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
⁴ Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.
⁵ Centro de Investigación, Innovación y Creación (CIIC), Universidad Católica de Temuco Facultad de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, Temuco, Araucania, Chile.
⁶ Instituto Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Básicas (ICB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Laboratorio de Paleoecología Humana, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina.
⁷ Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
⁸ Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
⁹ Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
¹⁰ Minerals and Energy Unit, Council for Geoscience, Cape Town, South Africa.
¹¹ African Centre for Coastal Palaeoscience, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha, South Africa.
¹² Biogeochemistry Research Infrastructure Platform (BIOGRIP), University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
¹³ Wollongong Isotope Geochronology Laboratory, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
¹⁴ British Geological Survey, Nottingham, UK.
¹⁵ Centro Interdisciplinar de Arqueologia e Evolução do Comportamento Humano, Universidade do Algarve, Faro, Portugal.
¹⁶ Department of Geological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
¹⁷ Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology, Jena, Germany.
¹⁸ School of History, Archaeology, and Religion, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
¹⁹ Department of Archaeology, Environmental Changes and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
²⁰ Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA.
²¹ BioArchéologie, Interactions Sociétés environnements (BioArch-UMR 7209), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
²² School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK.
²³ Environmental Futures Research Institute, School of Science, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
²⁴ Paleoanthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
²⁵ Department of Archaeology, Durham University, Durham, UK.
²⁶ Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
²⁷ South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Pretoria, South Africa.
²⁸ Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
²⁹ Instituto de Geocronología y Geología Isotópica (CONICET-UBA), Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
³⁰ Escuela de Antropología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
³¹ Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, UK.
³² División Arqueología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de la Plata, La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
³³ School of Anthropology, Political Science, and Sociology, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, USA.
³⁴ Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
³⁵ Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
³⁶ Institute for Prehistory and Early History, Christian-Albrechts-University zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.

PMID: 40535935
PMCID: PMC12173513
DOI: 10.1098/rsos.250283

Abstract

Strontium isotopes (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) are increasingly used as a provenance tool in multiple disciplines. Application to biological materials requires knowledge of the variation in bioavailable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr across the landscape, potentially in the form of an isoscape (a quantitative model of spatial isotopic variability). This paper summarizes and provides advice on our current understanding of the main concerns in creating and interpreting isoscapes of bioavailable ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr. Isoscape creation approaches include domain mapping, geostatistical contour mapping and machine learning, the last becoming more readily achievable with the availability of software packages. It is critically important to develop isoscapes at a resolution appropriate for addressing the research questions. Choice of sample materials depends on the research questions and availability: plants or fauna with small ranges are favoured, with some analytes (snails, soil leachates) posing challenges. Interpreting ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in biological tissues requires considering Sr metabolism and the timing of tissue formation, thus far underappreciated. The numerous sources of error involved in developing and applying isoscapes must be recognized to avoid over-interpreting data and spurious provenance precision. We hope this paper will help researchers investigating provenance, mobility, landscape use and migration to develop the most appropriate isoscapes for their purposes, and possible future use by others.

Keywords: bioavailable 87Sr/86Sr; ecology; geochemistry; geolocation; geostatistics; isotope mapping.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We declare we have no competing interests.

References

1. Price TD, Burton JH, Bentley RA. 2002. The characterization of biologically available strontium isotope ratios for the study of prehistoric migration. Archaeometry 44, 117–135. ( 10.1111/1475-4754.00047) - DOI
1. Richards M, Harvati K, Grimes V, Smith C, Smith T, Hublin JJ, Karkanas P, Panagopoulou E. 2008. Strontium isotope evidence of Neanderthal mobility at the site of Lakonis, Greece using laser-ablation PIMMS. J. Archaeol. Sci. 35, 1251–1256. ( 10.1016/j.jas.2007.08.018) - DOI
1. Copeland SR, Sponheimer M, de Ruiter DJ, Lee-Thorp JA, Codron D, le Roux PJ, Grimes V, Richards MP. 2011. Strontium isotope evidence for landscape use by early hominins. Nature 474, 76–78. ( 10.1038/nature10149) - DOI - PubMed
1. Copeland SR, Cawthra HC, Fisher EC, Lee-Thorp JA, Cowling RM, le Roux PJ, Hodgkins J, Marean CW. 2016. Strontium isotope investigation of ungulate movement patterns on the Pleistocene Paleo-Agulhas Plain of the Greater Cape Floristic Region, South Africa. Quat. Sci. Rev. 141, 65–84. ( 10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.04.002) - DOI
1. Alt KW, et al. 2014. Lombards on the move—an integrative study of the migration period cemetery at Szólád, Hungary. PLoS One 9, e110793. ( 10.1371/journal.pone.0110793) - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Actions

Associated data

figshare/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.7873380

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources
Research Materials
- NCI CPTC Antibody Characterization Program

Save citation to file

Email citation

Add to Collections

Add to My Bibliography

Your saved search

Create a file for external citation management software

Your RSS Feed

Strontium isoscapes for provenance, mobility and migration: the way forward

Affiliations

Strontium isoscapes for provenance, mobility and migration: the way forward

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

References

Publication types

Associated data

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Research Materials