Previous Work

Neutron activation analysis for the investigation of pumice from various sources was successfully applied and presented at several mentioned analytical workshops. Pumices from Lipari, Thera and alluvial pumices from Chios and Crete were analyzed and the results compared to samples from excavations in the Nile delta, Egypt. Crystalline particles in the glassy matrix of pumice were detected and the minerals identified by their characteristic X-ray diffraction lines. It was stated that further investigations will allow a detailed geochemical stratigraphy of pumice and ash layers in the Mediterranean Region.

This chemical approach led to the question, if the morphologically well distinguishable layers of the "Minoan pumice" could be distinguished chemically, too. This question was answered by publication 18.