We studied modern limpet shells using laser-based (LIBS) analysis in two labs to better understand how shell chemistry reflects past sea temperatures. By creating detailed elemental maps, we tested how different methods and lab setups affect results. We found that variation in shell data is mostly due to natural limpet growth patterns, not the measurement technique. This is important for improving the reliability of shell-based climate reconstructions in archaeology and palaeoenvironmental research.
Alejandro León Cristóbal is a doctoral researcher from the University of La Rioja (Spain). He does research in marine mollusc shells, ethnoarchaeology, oxygen isotope analysis, Palaeolithic Archaeology and Mesolithic-Neolithic Transition. The main objective in his doctoral thesis is to improve the understanding of the last hunter-gatherer-fisher societies of the Cantabrian Region.
We have been busy in the last few months and decided to give you an overview of all the things we did in one go, so that not a single output gets forgotten. This includes several trips of our team, but also guests coming to visit us at LEIZA.