Uranium distributions in archeologic ceramics: dating of radioactive inclusions

Small mineral grains (10 to 50 micrometers) of high uranium concentration (100 to 3000 parts per million) were located in polished sections of eight potsherds from Cyprus, England, Greece, and Mexico by induced fission-track mapping. Most of the grains were identified as zircons or apatites by a microprobe attachment to a scanning electron microscope. The advantages in using such radioactive grains for thermoluminescence dating and alpha-recoil track dating are discussed.