Search

The analysis of strontium isotope ratios in human dental enamel has become important in the fields of archaeological and forensic science for determining provenance and hence mobility. The prerequisite for the approach relies on a correlation between dietary Sr intake and the underlying local geology. This premise is brought into question for anthropological forensic investigations by the increasing globalisation of food supply, the establishment of nation-wide or international supermarket chains, and increasing urbanisation. To better understand the processes that cause spatial variation of Sr isotope ratios in the modern environment, this study determines the range of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios in the modern Dutch environment based on 296 modern human dental enamel and tap water samples. Tap water 87 Sr/ 86 Sr from the Netherlands range from 0.70837 to 0.71278 (ΔSr max - min  = 0.0044) and modern human enamel from 0.70847 to 0.70995 (ΔSr max - min  = 0.0015). The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios of tap water are predominantly determined by the underlying bedrock geology at the sampling point. In contrast, the human enamel data record an insignificant, weak correlation with water supply or local geology. Hence, the main principle behind the application of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr as a proxy for mobility appears invalid in the modern globalised Dutch context. The range of 87 Sr/ 86 Sr in modern Dutch humans that can be used for anthropological forensic investigations is between 0.7085 and 0.7100 (n = 153), with 98.0% of individuals between 0.7088 and 0.7099., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)