The Analysis of Interred Pig Forefeet in a Bog on Dartmoor Using Portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy

Three pig forefeet were buried approximately 20 centimetres (cm) below the surface in the Dartmoor bogs for ten months. To understand the bog environmental chemistry and its potential diagenetic effects on buried porcine remains, we applied Portable X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF) to the pig bone and burial soil. We also wanted to ascertain whether pXRF allows us to resolve whether the chemical changes that create bog bodies required extended immersion in the bog (millennia versus years or less). To assess the potential diagenetic effects of the bog, we analysed the elemental concentrations of soil samples at 10cm intervals, a soil sample at the burial depth, and a middle phalanx of the first pig using the Skyray Genius 5000 pXRF analyser. The pXRF analyser provided valuable information for understanding that chemical changes occurred within less than year, involving both incorporation and leaching of various elements in the bog.