| Isotopic analysis is a method used to infer human dietary and geographical life histories, an approach that can assist in identification of unidentified individuals. Understanding the effects of various post-mortem processes on isotopic signatures is an important, but understudied, component of such forensic analyses. This research compares isotope signatures of bones before and after burning, focusing on commonly used elements including carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and radiogenic strontium as well as some lesser studied isotopes of sulfur and mass-dependent strontium. Pig ribs and human femur and rib pairs were burned. Comparison of isotopic ratios pre- and post-burning show insignificant changes for all isotope systems, except for the carbonate isotope systems. Together, this research suggests that most stable isotope systems are conservative, and burning within the temperature ranges employed here will not result in significant shifts in isotope values in bone. |
