A quaternary bronze was prepared as part of a project for certification of
reference materials, simulating the composition of archaeological artefacts
. A microdistribution analysis performed with the scanning nuclear micropro
be provides information about the distribution of the elements. The concept
of correlation maps allowed to distinguish with high clarity the presence
of compounds, consisting of several metals, in localized areas. The use of
RES also yielded depth information. This allowed three-dimensional informat
ion to be obtained for the intergranular space and inclusions of Pb, Zn, Mn
, and Fe in a granular Cu-Sn matrix. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig
hts reserved.