Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes

The use of isotopes is crucial for understanding the origin of jade/nephrite. This article first contrasts recent studies on the radioisotopes and stable isotopes of contemporary nephrite deposits in China, Baikal region, and South Korean Peninsula. It then reviews the isotopic analysis of the sourc...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rong Wang, Xiaowei Shi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Earth Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.1008387/full
_version_ 1797961416816197632
author Rong Wang
Xiaowei Shi
author_facet Rong Wang
Xiaowei Shi
author_sort Rong Wang
collection DOAJ
description The use of isotopes is crucial for understanding the origin of jade/nephrite. This article first contrasts recent studies on the radioisotopes and stable isotopes of contemporary nephrite deposits in China, Baikal region, and South Korean Peninsula. It then reviews the isotopic analysis of the sources of nephrite artifacts in ancient China, highlighting the concentration of contemporary nephrite deposits with distinct isotopic fingerprints in three significant geographic areas, Northeast Asia, the Yellow River Basin, and South China Region. That is, with regard to Northeast Asia, S‐type and D‐type nephrite in Baikal region, and D‐type nephrite in Chuncheon of South Korea as well as Xiuyan and Kuandian of Liaoning Province can be distinguished well by the radioisotope mineralization age and hydrogen and oxygen isotopic values; with regard to the Upper Yellow River, the isotope method of hydrogen, oxygen and silicon isotopic values has the potential to distinguish the D-type and S-type nephrite in Xinjiang Province and Qinghai Province, while cannot distinguish the D-type nephrite from Hetian, Xinjiang Province and Lintao/Maxianshan, Gansu Province; with regard to South China, the isotope method of the radioisotope mineralization age and hydrogen and oxygen isotopic values has the potential to distinguish D-type nephrite from Fugong in Yunnan Province, Dahua in Guangxi Province and Luodian in Guizhou Province, and S-type nephrite in Hualian, Chinese Taiwan. It is recommended that isotopic database of jade materials from more deposits and excavated jadewares must be established, in order to answer significant archaeological questions regarding the role of jade material utilization in the origin, formation and development of Chinese jade culture and Chinese civilization.
first_indexed 2024-04-11T00:58:05Z
format Article
id doaj.art-d82c86a9142543c68250ab0b12419e3f
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2296-6463
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-11T00:58:05Z
publishDate 2022-12-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Earth Science
spelling doaj.art-d82c86a9142543c68250ab0b12419e3f2023-01-04T21:31:59ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632022-12-011010.3389/feart.2022.10083871008387Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopesRong WangXiaowei ShiThe use of isotopes is crucial for understanding the origin of jade/nephrite. This article first contrasts recent studies on the radioisotopes and stable isotopes of contemporary nephrite deposits in China, Baikal region, and South Korean Peninsula. It then reviews the isotopic analysis of the sources of nephrite artifacts in ancient China, highlighting the concentration of contemporary nephrite deposits with distinct isotopic fingerprints in three significant geographic areas, Northeast Asia, the Yellow River Basin, and South China Region. That is, with regard to Northeast Asia, S‐type and D‐type nephrite in Baikal region, and D‐type nephrite in Chuncheon of South Korea as well as Xiuyan and Kuandian of Liaoning Province can be distinguished well by the radioisotope mineralization age and hydrogen and oxygen isotopic values; with regard to the Upper Yellow River, the isotope method of hydrogen, oxygen and silicon isotopic values has the potential to distinguish the D-type and S-type nephrite in Xinjiang Province and Qinghai Province, while cannot distinguish the D-type nephrite from Hetian, Xinjiang Province and Lintao/Maxianshan, Gansu Province; with regard to South China, the isotope method of the radioisotope mineralization age and hydrogen and oxygen isotopic values has the potential to distinguish D-type nephrite from Fugong in Yunnan Province, Dahua in Guangxi Province and Luodian in Guizhou Province, and S-type nephrite in Hualian, Chinese Taiwan. It is recommended that isotopic database of jade materials from more deposits and excavated jadewares must be established, in order to answer significant archaeological questions regarding the role of jade material utilization in the origin, formation and development of Chinese jade culture and Chinese civilization.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.1008387/fullradioisotopestable isotopeancient Chinajadenephritesource
spellingShingle Rong Wang
Xiaowei Shi
Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes
Frontiers in Earth Science
radioisotope
stable isotope
ancient China
jade
nephrite
source
title Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes
title_full Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes
title_fullStr Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes
title_full_unstemmed Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes
title_short Progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient China from the perspective of isotopes
title_sort progress on the nephrite sources of jade artifacts in ancient china from the perspective of isotopes
topic radioisotope
stable isotope
ancient China
jade
nephrite
source
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2022.1008387/full
work_keys_str_mv AT rongwang progressonthenephritesourcesofjadeartifactsinancientchinafromtheperspectiveofisotopes
AT xiaoweishi progressonthenephritesourcesofjadeartifactsinancientchinafromtheperspectiveofisotopes