Mineral origin of tremolite jade artifacts from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Hubei, China: based on petrology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry

Mineral origin of tremolite jade artifacts from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Hubei, China: based on petrology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mineral origin of tremolite jade artifacts from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Hubei, China: based on petrology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry Jifu Liu, Yi Cao, Xuan Yu, Mingxing Yang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4984741/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 01 Mar, 2025 Read the published version in npj Heritage Science → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The origin of raw materials is a crucial area of study in jade archaeology, with significant importance for research on the interactions and exchanges of ancient cultures. The Guojiamiao Cemetery is situated in Zaoyang City, Hubei Province, China. It has undergone two protective excavations, one in 2004 and another in 2014. These excavations revealed that it is a large aristocratic cemetery of the Zeng State, dating from the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn periods. The jade artifacts found at this site are of various types and exquisite in style, serving as significant burial objects. In this study, we used gemology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry methods to analyze 30 excavated jade artifacts in detail. We studied the types of minerals, the characteristics of their shapes, and the major trace elements of the materials. Additionally, we investigated where the tremolite jade artifacts found in this cemetery came from. We used a classification method to categorize different sources of tremolite jade based on the combinations of trace and rare earth elements associated with various regions. The study revealed that the raw materials for the jade artifacts found in Guojiamiao Cemetery originate from the northwest region of China, with a focus on areas from eastern Xinjiang to northwestern Gansu. The findings shed light on the origins of jade materials utilized by the Zeng State during various historical periods and their connection with the Chu State. Additionally, this research helps in understanding the evolution of civilization in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. excavated jade mineral source characteristics spectral characteristics rare earth elements trace elements Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 Figure 10 Introduction Excavated jade artifacts play an indispensable role in forming the pattern of Chinese unity in diversity [ 1 ] . Among the many materials of jade, tremolite, because of its unique mineralogical attributes, was widely used in several jade-using cultural circles in prehistory. The origin of its ore is a crucial focus of research in jade archaeology. It can shed light on how the ruling class managed the distribution of valuable resources and provide insight into the organizational form and social structure of ancient societies. The study of mineral sources can help us understand how precious resources were distributed and managed by the ruling class. It can also give us insights into the organization and social structure of ancient societies. Furthermore, it provides physical data for in-depth research on the interaction and exchange between different cultural systems. Tremolite can be classified into serpentine and marble types based on the type of ore-forming parent rock. The contact-accounted marble type is the main genesis type of high-quality tremolite jade [ 2 ] . The improvement of modern jade deposit research, the convenience of the technical means of spectroscopic testing, and the iteration of the geochemical testing methods, etc., have laid the foundation for the identification of the mineral source of the unearthed tremolite jade [ 3 ] . Based on the distribution of tremolite jade in China’s marble-type deposits, it can be roughly divided by geographic regions into the Northwest Region (Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu), the Southwest Region (Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi), the Southeast Region (Jiangsu), the Northeast Region (Liaoning), and the North China Region (Hebei), among others. Jade materials from different regions often exhibit variations in structure, color, surface texture, trace elements, isotopes, rare earth elements, and other characteristics due to differences in the age, environment, and conditions of formation. By utilizing these differences, methods such as the in situ proximity judgment method, cluster analysis method, inferred mining site method, stratified research method for tracing mining sites, and typical feature analysis for cross-verification can be applied to objectively determine the raw material sources of excavated jade artifacts [ 4 ] . This paper aims to study 30 tremolite jade artifacts unearthed from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, utilizing methodologies from gemology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry. The study characterizes the morphological features, spectral properties, and major and trace element characteristics of the samples, with a focus on analyzing the mineral sources of the jade artifacts from the Guojiamiao Cemetery. This research provides fundamental data for further exploration of the formation, development, and changes in the Zeng State's jade usage system during the Eastern Zhou period. The archaeological context and samples The Background of Guojiamiao Cemetery The Guojiamiao Cemetery, a large noble burial site of the Zeng State from the Late Western Zhou to Early Spring and Autumn periods, is located in the first and second groups of Dongzhaohu Village, Wudian Town, Zaoyang City, Hubei Province, China. It is situated about 20 kilometers northwest of Zaoyang's urban area, south of the Gun River, with the Huayang River to the east, and is distributed along a north-south ridge (also known as Luojiagang–Chunshugang) [ 5 ] . The cemetery can be divided into the Guojiamiao burial area and the Caomenwan burial area, separated by a low-lying area between the two ridges. Although some tombs in this cemetery were severely looted, two rescue excavations in 2002 and 2014 still yielded a large number of artifacts, including bronzes, jade artifacts, pottery, lacquerware, and gold and silver items, among which 322 pieces are jade artifacts [ 6 ] . The types of jade artifacts found in this cemetery primarily include jade rings, jade bo-shaped objects, jade beads, jade pendants, jade bi discs, jade cong tubes, and jade huang pendants. The materials include tremolite, serpentine, red agate, fluorite, turquoise, mica, faience, and others, with tremolite being the primary material used for the jade artifacts unearthed from this cemetery. Excavated Jade Samples This paper selects 30 representative tremolite jade artifacts unearthed from the Guojiamiao Cemetery (Fig. 1 ) and examines their appearance and structural features through microscopy (Table 1 ). To determine the mineral sources, the analysis focuses on eight features including the stone's surface texture, surface color, impurity minerals, color, structure, major elements, trace elements, and rare earth elements. Table 1 Appearance characteristics and structural features of jade mineralization study samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery Tomb Number Sample Number Artifact Type Appearance Description Structural Characteristics CM17 3 Jade Jue Uneven Thickness Internally contains a large amount of fibrous inclusions arranged in parallel, sheet-like formations GM29 2 Jade Jue Severe surface erosion, showing a bone-white color The Jue opening contains staining distributed along the cracks 7 Jade Ornament Surface slightly weathered, with a small amount of yellow-brown coating Internally, there are numerous white, fleck-like fibrous inclusions distributed in a spotted pattern GM30 65 Jade Ornament Surface slightly weathered, with a small amount of caramel-colored coating on the edges Yellow staining at breaks and surface fissure areas 55 Jade Jue One side decorated with dragon patterns, with original cracks Distribution of green dotted and flaky inclusions along fissures 3 Jade Jue Slightly percolated surface, fine texture Unevenly distributed sugar-coloured dip on the body of the vessel 2 Jade Jue Decorated with dragons on one side, with original cracks Consistent with the GM30-55 instrument type, for throwing GM39 10 − 1 Jade Ornament in the Shape of a Bundled Silk Shaded lines, slightly brownish on the reverse Only one hole is penetrated, the other three are not, and tremolite is seen in vein-like, multiphase distribution along the body of the vessel 10 − 5 Jade Ornament Shaded lines, slightly brownish on the reverse Only one hole is penetrated, the other three are not, and tremolite is seen in vein-like, multiphase distribution along the body of the vessel 10 − 7 Jade Ornament One side decorated with animal face motifs, sugar-coloured Concretionary rims, heavily percolated; unifacial drilled hole in the centre GM46 45 Jade Ornament Dragon pattern, for drilling holes Sugar-coloured seeps along the fissures 49 Square Waist Ornament One side decorated with animal face motifs Containing dark coloured lamellar inclusions in the interior, with two central counterbore holes GM48 1 Jade Jue Surface white, decorated with dragons on one side Tremolite grains are seen in short clusters on the surface of the vessel. 2 Jade Jue Single-sided decorated with dragon motifs, broken and glued in place The body has a large number of cracks distributed along the interstices of the tremolite grains, suspected to be fire marks; the sugar colour is deep and different from the natural sugar colour GM55 031 Square Jade Ornament Dragon's head, slightly percolated Fine jade, no obvious impurity minerals 06 Jade Tube White seepage and yellow skin at one end The body of the vessel has a cut mark perpendicular to the face of the column 05 Jade Jue surface seepage Margins with a yellow dip distributed along the fissure GM68 10 Jade Jue plain and undecorated Surface slightly weathered, appearing white; black material fills the cracks GM74 1 Jade Tube The surface is decorated with dragon motifs, slightly white in colour Cross-section shaded at one end; single-sided drilling 4 Jade Jue Plain, with numerous white dots on the surface Interior contains punctate green inclusions GM76 1 Jade Ornament Late translucent amphibole can be seen as vein-filling, with slight surface seepage The body shows that the jade is located in an arid environment 34 Square Waist Ornament Few tremolites, large concretionary contacts Severe erosion of concreted areas 26 Bar-shaped Jade Ornament Cut marks The overall body of the vessel is maroon in colour, with a flaky concretion on one side, which is suspected to be a later colour change GM78 7 Jade Jue Slightly percolated surface, no decoration Internal black inclusions of pitting minerals 8 Jade Jue Slightly percolated surface, no decoration Internal black inclusions of pitting minerals GM80 2 Jade Jue surface seepage One side of the penannular mouth only has an incised line, the rest of the penannular mouth is plain GM83 2 Pointed Jade Ornament White and black colouring on the bevelled surface, with cut marks Jade is delicate 3 Square Jade Plaque Edges, sugared, slightly seeping surface Cutting marks are evident GM86 104 Small Jade Bi vegetarian Concentric ring of drill marks near hole edge 105 Jade Ornament Jade ornament in the form of a bundle of silk, with a reduced ground and sunburst pattern Clear traces of emery cut, with white cottony inclusions inside Methods of analysis Morphological Analysis The preliminary observation of the surface and internal features of the samples, inclusion features were observed using an optical microscope from the gemological institute, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), and the local microscopic features were photographed using a super depth of-field stereomicroscope of Leica M205A from the gemological institute, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), with an objective lens model of 10450191, a magnification of 0.25, a working distance of 303 mm, and a diameter of 58 mm. Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis The material identification of the samples was carried out using a micro-infrared spectrometer (Bruker Optics Hyperion 3000). Infrared spectroscopy was carried out using the reflectance method with a resolution of 4cm − 1 , a measuring range of 400-4000cm − 1 , a scanning time of 64s, and several scans of 64. The data were processed by the K-K transformation. Raman Spectroscopy Analysis The samples were analyzed for impurity mineral composition using a microconfocal Raman spectrometer (instrument model: JASCO NRS-7500). Test conditions: laser 532nm, power attenuation sheet 100%, grating 1800nm, measurement range 100-4000cm − 1 , acquisition time 20s, accumulation times 3 times, resolution 0.9cm − 1 . Trace Element Analysis The samples were analyzed for the chemical element content of the trace elements using an Agilent 7700e laser stripping inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Test conditions: laser energy 80 mJ, energy density 5.5 J/cm 2 , laser stripping spot diameter 44 µm, frequency 5 Hz, number of laser stripping 250 pauls. Synthetic glass NIST 610, BCR-2G, BHVO-2G, and BIR-1G (USGS series) were used as external standards for the tests. Test results Infrared spectroscopy The infrared spectra of the 30 samples analyzed this time are all by the standard spectral peaks of tremolite. The characteristic peaks are mainly concentrated in the mid-infrared fingerprint region from 1200 to 400cm − 1 , including 1139, 1071, 1046, 994, 925, 763, 688, 540, 515, 467cm − 1 , of which 1139, 1071, 1046, 994, 925cm − 1 are the anti-symmetric telescopic vibration of O-Si-O and Si-O-Si and the O-Si-O symmetric stretching vibrations, 763, 688cm − 1 are Si-O-Si symmetric stretching vibrations, 540, 515, 467cm − 1 are Si-O bending vibrations and M-O lattice vibrations [ 7 ] . Raman spectroscopy The Raman spectra of the 30 samples analyzed in this work all conform to the standard spectral peaks of tremolite. The characteristic peaks are concentrated in the fingerprint frequency region from 100 to 1200 and from 3600 to 3700cm − 1 Raman shifts, including 173, 225, 370, 396, 672, 925, 1021, 1060, 3634, 3674cm − 1 , in which the Raman shifts caused by the stretching vibration of M-OH are located in 3674 and 3634cm − 1 , the Raman shifts caused by the stretching vibration of Si-O Raman shifts due to Si-O stretching vibrations are located at 1060, 1021, and 925 cm − 1 , Raman shifts due to Si-O-Si stretching vibrations are located at 672 cm − 1 , and Raman shifts due to M-O lattice vibrations are located at 396, 370, 225, 173 cm − 1 [ 7 ] . Geochemical Characteristics 1. Primary elements The LA-ICP-MS test results show that the main components of jade excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery are SiO 2 , MgO and CaO, of which the content of SiO 2 is 58.14–61.95 wt.% (mean value 59.88 wt.%), the content of MgO is 22.67–25.08 wt.% (mean value 23.79 wt.%), and the content of CaO 13.24–15.99 wt.% (mean value 14.38 wt.%), and its content is consistent with that of dacite-type tremolite jade. 15.99 wt.% (mean value 14.38 wt.%), and its content is consistent with that of dacite-type tremolite jade. In addition, the TFeO content of the samples ranged from 0.21 to 1.26 wt.% (mean value 0.71 wt.%), and according to the nomenclature of the hornblende group developed by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), tremolite, actinolite, and ferrierite are classified based on the percentage of Mg 2+ and Fe 2+ per unit molecule. The classification rules for tremolite, caliche, and iron actinolite are as follows: R * (R * =Mg 2+ / (Mg 2+ +Fe 2+ )) is tremolite in the range of 0.90-1.00, actinolite in the range of 0.50–0.90, and iron actinolite in the range of 0.00-0.50 [ 8 ] . The R * range of the calculated samples is between 0.94 and 0.99, indicating that the main component of the batch of samples is tremolite. 2. Rare earth elements The rare earth elements in the LA-ICP-MS test data were standardized based on the globular meteorite data proposed by Palme H (2014), and the standardized illustration of trace element globular meteorites was plotted (Fig. 4 ) [ 9 ] . The results show that the rare earth partitioning pattern of the tremolite jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery is horizontal seagull-like as a whole, with total rare earth (∑REE) ranging from 0.93 to 22.64 mg/kg, with an average value of 5.26 mg/kg, the total rare earth is generally low, and its ore-forming host rock is basaltic; the ratio of light and heavy rare earth (LREE/HREE) ranges from 0.38 to 5.29, with an average value of 2.07. The ratio of light to heavy rare earth (LREE/HREE) ranges from 0.38 to 5.29, with an average value of 2.07, and the difference between light and heavy rare earth is not obvious; the europium anomaly (δEu) ranges from 0.12 to 1.67, with an average value of 0.57, which shows an obvious negative anomaly; the cerium anomaly (δCe) ranges from 0.23 to 1.11, with an average value of 0.78, which shows a slightly negative anomaly. Table 2 Parameters of rare earth elements in jade mineral source study samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery ΣREE LREE/HREE (La/Sm)N (Gd/Lu)N δEu* δCe* Maximum 22.64 5.29 12.88 8.44 1.67 1.11 Minimum 0.93 0.38 0.06 0.08 0.12 0.23 Average 5.26 2.07 2.00 1.76 0.57 0.78 Median 3.95 2.09 1.62 1.09 0.51 0.81 Note: * indicates δEu = 2EuN/(SmN + GdN), δCe = 2CeN/(LaN + PrN). 3. Trace elements Trace elements tested by LA-ICP-MS were normalized to the raw mantle trace element data published by S.-s. Sun and W.F. McDonough in 1989 and a trace element spidergram was produced [ 10 ] . The trace element spidergrams are an expansion of the rare earth element partitioning pattern and allow an analysis of sample deviation relative to the primitive mantle. The results show that there are obvious positive anomalies for U and negative anomalies for Ba in the trace elements of the tested samples, while there are relative enrichments of Rb and Sr in the large ionophilic elements and relative losses of Th, Zr, and Hf in the high-field-strength elements. Discussion Jade quality The materials of the 30 jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery are all tremolite, and the test results of their infrared spectra, Raman spectra, and principal components are all in line with the standard values. In terms of color, the 30 pieces of tremolite jade excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery can be classified as green, greenish-white, white, sugar-colored, and sugar-white, with greenish-white accounting for the largest number of samples, and only GM86:104 of the samples tested this time are pure white, specifically: 5 pieces of green jade, 12 pieces of greenish-white jade, 8 pieces of white jade and 5 pieces of sugar-white jade. In terms of texture, this test sample of tremolite jade samples from the Guojiamiao Cemetery has a fine structure, with a greasy luster, and most of the samples have a low degree of whitening by percolation, and tremolite crystals can be seen to have a short fibrous distribution in the percolated areas, and in GM76:1 (Fig. 6 . C) tremolite can be seen to have a vein-like distribution, and it shows the phenomenon of multiphase formation, and the transparency of tremolite formed in the later phases is obviously higher than that in the earlier phases, which is similar to the characteristic of "watery water", and is also similar to that of "watery water". Its characteristics are similar to the "water line". In terms of impurity minerals, there are fewer impurity minerals in the tremolite jade samples excavated from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, mostly white inclusions distributed in the form of cotton wool, basically free of black inclusions such as graphite, and a few samples have dark-colored impurity minerals distributed along the fissures, for example, there is a pristine dissolution pore space filled with yellow-brown impurity minerals in CM17:3 (Fig. 7 . A). Therefore, from the characteristics of the material, color, texture, and impurity minerals of the samples in this batch, it can be seen that the mineral material of the tremolite jade artifacts excavated from the Guojiamiao Cemetery is of high-quality tremolite. The grade of jade used A total of 108 burials were excavated at Guojiamiao Cemetery from 2014 to 2015. The burials can be categorized into large-sized, medium-sized, and small-sized based on the size of the grave, the presence of a tomb passageway, the type of coffins, burial tools, and the number of unearthed artifacts. The small-sized burials can be further divided into bronze tombs and ceramic tombs. The samples for this paper were obtained from 10 medium-sized tombs and 4 small-sized tombs. There is no obvious difference between the medium-sized tombs and the small-sized tombs in terms of the quality of the jade, according to the archaeological excavation. However, the medium-sized tombs have a significantly larger number of burials than the small-sized tombs. It's important to note that the samples tested this time were only some of the tremolite jade objects from the medium-sized and small-sized burials. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the difference in the grade of jade used in the Guojiamiao Cemetery, and further research is needed. Table 3 Jade description of tremolite jade samples excavated from different grades of burials in Guojiamiao Cemetery Burial type Grave number Sample number Description of Jade Texture Medium-sized tomb GM29 2、7 Greenish white jade, fine texture GM30 2、3、55、65 Green and white jade with fine texture GM46 45、59 Greenish-white jade and sugar jade, with exquisite decoration and choice of materials GM48 1、49 Greenish white jade and sugar jade with fine texture GM55 05、06、031 White and greenish-white jade with fine texture GM68 10 Greenish white jade with fine texture GM74 1、4 Greenish white jade and sugar white jade with fine texture GM76 1、26、34 Greenish white jade, sugar jade, poor texture GM78 7、8 Greenish white jade with fine texture GM86 104、105 Green and white jade with fine texture Small-sized tomb GM39 10 − 1、10 − 5、10 − 7 Greenish white jade, sugar white jade, uneven colour, finer texture GM80 2 Greenish-white, uneven in colour, more delicate in texture GM83 2、3 White, semi-finished jade, fine texture CM17 3 Greenish white, fine texture Mineral sources According to the analysis of the eight characteristics of the jade excavated from Guojiamiao, including the epidermis of the original stone, the skin color of the original stone, the impurity minerals, the color, the structure, the principal elements, the rare earth elements, the trace elements, etc., the first five items are the macroscopic characteristics of the jade material, to preliminarily judge the environment in which it was formed and the crystalline state of the jade material itself, and then construct the numerical mineral source discrimination model according to the characteristics of the principal trace elements of the latter three items, and achieve the mineral source discrimination based on the difference in the geochemical characteristics of the jade material. Then we constructed a mathematical mineral source discrimination model based on the main trace element characteristics of the latter three items, and based on the differences in geochemical characteristics of the jade materials, we achieved the distinction of mineral sources, and thus judged the sources of the samples. 1. Jade Macro Characteristics The yellowish-brown skin layer retained by the original mineral material can be seen in the tremolite jade objects excavated from the Guojiamiao Cemetery (e.g. GM83:3), and the original peridot contact zone retained on the edges of some of the jade objects, which are heavily percolated (e.g. GM39:10 − 7). A yellowish primitive skin color can also be seen on the surface of some high-quality jade (e.g. GM 55:06), and jade objects that retain the primitive skin color usually have a fine, even texture and a greasy luster, which was formed by oxidation after being formed in the primitive strata and then naturally transported to the surface or near the surface. The primitive skin and primitive skin color are typical features of tremolite jade produced in the northwestern part of China, and it is assumed that this batch of jade originated from the northwestern part of China. 2. Rare earth element discrimination model Rare earth elements in minerals are often differentiated according to their mineralization environments, which can be reflected geochemically by the total amount of rare earth (∑REE), the ratio of light to heavy rare earth (LREE/HREE), and the europium and cerium anomalies (δEu) and (δCe), etc. The values of LREE/HREE and δCe are more effective in distinguishing between nephrites of different origins, which reflects the differences in the parent rocks and the geochemical properties of nephrites of different origins. The LREE/HREE and δCe values are good for distinguishing nephrites from different origins, reflecting that there are some differences in the parent rocks, fluid sources, geochemical properties, and formation environments of different origins [11]. Previous studies have shown that the major tremolite jade production areas in China can be divided into three groups according to the rare earth distribution pattern: the first group is Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai, which is characterized by the low total amount of rare earth, inconspicuous light-heavy rare earth, horizontal seagull shape, and obvious europium-negative anomalies; the second group is Luodian, Guizhou and Dahua, Guangxi, which is characterized by the high total amount of rare earth, obvious light-heavy rare earth, rightward tilting phenomenon, inconspicuous Eu anomalies, and obvious Ce negative anomalies; the second group is Luo Dian and Dahua, Guizhou. The second group is from Luodian, Guizhou, and Dahua, Guangxi, showing high total rare earth, obvious differentiation between light and heavy rare earth, right-dipping phenomenon, insignificant Eu anomaly, and negative Ce anomaly; the third group is from Liyang, Jiangsu, showing low total rare earth, obvious differentiation between light and heavy rare earth, right-dipping phenomenon, and negative Eu anomaly; the fourth group is from Xiuyan, Liaoning, showing high total rare earth, obvious differentiation between light and heavy rare earth, right-dipping phenomenon, and negative Eu anomaly. The rare-earth partitioning pattern of the jade artifacts excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery shows that the total amount of rare earth is generally low, the light and heavy rare-earth differentiation is not obvious, and the Eu-negative anomalies are obvious, according to which it can be judged that the metallogenic environments of this batch of samples are comparable to those of the first group (Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai). Table 4 Tremolite jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery and the rare earth element distribution pattern of Tremolite jade from major origins in China groups primary source area ∑REE(mg/kg) LREE/HREE δEu δCe test group the guojiamiao cemetery 0.93 ~ 22.64 (5.26) 0.38 ~ 5.29 (2.07) 0.12 ~ 1.67 (0.57) 0.23 ~ 1.11 (0.78) 1 Yutian, Xinjiang [7] 1.30 ~ 21.09 (7.05) 0.08 ~ 4.64 (1.09) 0.03 ~ 0.64 (0.25) 0.57 ~ 1.69 (1.00) Maxianshan, Gansu [12] 1.69 ~ 15.11 (6.30) 0.16 ~ 4.68 (1.55) 0.10 ~ 1.14 (0.29) 0.28 ~ 2.82 (0.94) Golmud, Qinghai [13] 0.29 ~ 40.72 (5.82) 0.55 ~ 3.65 (1.48) 0.05 ~ 0.87 (0.47) 0.84 ~ 1.45 (1.12) 2 Luodian, Guizhou [14] 16.79 ~ 34.60 (26.95) 4.80 ~ 8.25 (6.70) 0.63 ~ 0.87 (0.73) 0.21 ~ 0.34 (0.26) Dahua, Guangxi [15] 8.71 ~ 21.97 (14.74) 1.15 ~ 2.65 (1.80) 0.39 ~ 0.62 (0.43) 0.08 ~ 0.20 (0.16) 3 Liyang, Jiangsu [16] 2.49 ~ 10.43 (5.57) 2.31 ~ 8.67 (5.44) 0ཞ1.06 (0.43) 0.68 ~ 1.22 (0.85) 4 Xiuyan, Liaoning [17] 11.79 ~ 98.47 (43.91) 3.62 ~ 29.46 (14.54) 0.21 ~ 2.61 (0.71) 0.08 ~ 1.04 (0.85) 3. Trace element discrimination model Based on the metallogenic law and geographic distribution of tremolite jade, the Chinese dacite-type tremolite jade mineral source discrimination model constructed by selecting a combination of multiple trace elements can indicate the origin of the unknown samples in terms of the production area. Since jade mining is a dynamic process of continuous discovery and abandonment, the discrimination results cannot be completely consistent with a certain mining area, so the ancient mining sources are different from the present jade mines. To attenuate the deviation of the results caused by this reason, the sources with the characteristics of a typical mining source or those found close to the ancient mining sites were chosen as the basic database as much as possible in the discrimination process. Trace element data from four regions and seven production areas, including the Northwest Region (Yutian, Xinjiang; Golmud, Qinghai; and Mabanshan, Gansu), Southwest Region (Luodian, Guizhou; and Dahua, Guangxi), Southeast Region (Liyang, Jiangsu), and Northeast Region (Xiuyan, Liaoning), were selected to identify the regions of the samples, and then the production areas following the method of tracing back the origin of the samples layer by layer to clarify the production areas of the tremolite jade materials unearthed in the Guojiamiao Cemetery. The range of the jade material was clarified by first identifying the major areas and then the production areas. In the regional discrimination, such as in Fig. 10 . A, Guojiamiao Cemetery excavated tremolite jade and China's Northwest Region and Northeast Region origin characteristics close to the elimination of the more obvious differences between the Southwest Region and Southeast Region and then cast a map, such as Fig. 10 . B can be found in this batch of samples and the Northwest Region is closer. Further cast map, the results show that (Fig. 10 . C) the test sample data and Qinghai Golmud is located in the East Kunlun Mountains high-altitude production area of the difference is more obvious, which is mainly distributed in Xinjiang and Gansu production area between, presumably the test sample ore source is located in Xinjiang, Yutian to the unknown mine between Gansu Maxianshan. In conclusion, based on the macroscopic characteristics of the tremolite jade artifacts excavated from the Guojiamiao Cemetery and the forms of rare earth elements and trace element combinations of these samples, it is evident that most of the jade materials from the Guojiamiao Cemetery period came from the low altitude region in the northwestern part of China. The recent discovery of the Gansu Hanxia Jade Mining Site and the Mazongshan Jade Mining Site confirms that large-scale jade mining activities occurred in the Beishan region of Gansu during the Warring States period [ 18 – 19 ] . It is believed that a jade mining road extended from Xinjiang to the inland areas via the Hexi Corridor from as early as the beginning of the Qijia culture period in 2000 BC [ 20 ] . Some scholars have proposed the existence of a "Jade Road" supported by archaeological evidence, field visits, and experimental analyses [ 21 – 23 ] . This road not only facilitated the transport of tremolite jade but also brought large quantities of turquoise and chalcopyrite jade [ 24 ] . Guojiamiao Cemetery is an aristocratic cemetery from the late Western Zhou and early Spring and Autumn periods of the Zeng state. It holds significant historical importance during the transformation from Western Zhou to Eastern Zhou. According to archaeological findings, the Zeng state played a crucial role in containing the expansion of the Chu state during this period [ 25 ] . The excavated materials from this cemetery indicate that it was culturally orthodox in terms of Zhou culture and also flourishing as a "Hanyang ji" [ 26 ] . The use of jade in a similar manner to the Zhou cultural circle suggests that the channels for obtaining jade were also similar to those of the Zhou royal family. However, with the decline of the royal family, the way of obtaining jade and its usage may have gradually changed. Conclusions The analysis of the tremolite jade samples excavated in Guojiamiao indicates that they are of high quality, with a fine texture and mostly retaining their original yellowish-brown epidermis. These characteristics are also present in tremolite jade affected by natural elements such as mountain running water, Gobi materials, and sub-materials. Considering the color and other traits, it is suggested that the tremolite jade originated from the northwestern region of China. The analysis of the rare earth elements in the samples indicates a low total rare earth content, with no distinct light and heavy rare earth patterns but noticeable negative anomalies in the Eu. This suggests a metallogenic environment similar to the northwestern region of Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai. Using a trace element discrimination model, the ore source can be inferred to be in the border region between northwestern Gansu and southeastern Xinjiang. The study suggests a stable supply of tremolite jade in Zeng Guo's noble cemeteries from the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period. The cultural influence of the Zeng state was still dominated by the Zhou culture, and the system of jade use followed Zhou rites. Analyzing the source of the tremolite jade from the Guojiamiao Cemetery is important for understanding jade usage from the early Western Zhou to the middle Warring States period. Declarations Acknowledgments We are grateful to anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved the quality of the manuscript. Authors’ contributions JL and MY performed the data analysis and were major contributors to writing the manuscript. YC analyzed the rare earth element and trace element data. XY analyzed the spectroscopy data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding This research is supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 20BKG30, and by the Archaeology of China under Grant No. [2020] 444. Availability of data and materials All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. References Fei XT. Ancient Chinese Jade Artifacts and the Unified Multi-Ethnic Framework of the Chinese Nation. Thinking. 2003:(06): 1-4 (in Chinese) . Jing YT, Liu Y, Zhang Y, et al. Metallogenic age formation process and prospecting direction of marble⁃related nephrite deposit in China. Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica. 2022;41(03):651-667 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Zhang YF, Qiu ZL, Yang J, et al. Applications and progress of petrogeochemical testing techniques in tracing the origin of ancient jade. Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica. 2022;41(06):1169-1186 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Yang MX, Su Y, Fang T, et al. Provenance Study of Unearthed Nephrite Jade Artifacts in the Pre-Qin Period. Jianghan Archaeology. 2024;(03):130-137 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Xiangfan Archaeological Team, Hubei Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Hubei Xiaoxiang Highway Archaeological Task Force. Zaoyang Guojiamiao Zengguo Cemetery. Beijing: Science Press; 2005 (in Chinese) . Yangtze River Civilisation Museum, Hubei Provincial Museum, Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, et al. Marquis Mu Mu Zeng: Zeng State Cemetery at Guojiamiao, Zaoyang. Beijing: Cultural Relics Press; 2015 (in Chinese) . He Y, Su Y, Yang MX. Study on Spectroscopy and Locality Characteristics of the Nephrites in Yutian， Xinjiang. Spectroscopy and Spectral Analysis. 2022;42(12):3851-3857(in Chinese with English abstract). Ota K, Mikouchi T, Sugiyama K. Crystallography of hornblende amphibole in LAP04840 R chondrite and implication for its meta-morphic history. Japan Assoc Mineral, pp215–225. Palme H, O'Neill H. Cosmochemical Estimates of Mantle Composition, Treatise on Geochemistry 2nd Edition; 2014:pp1-39. S.-s.Sun, W.F. McDonough. “Chemical and isotopic systematics of oceanic basalts: implications for mantle composition and processes”, Geological Society;1989:pp313-345. Zhong YP, Qiu ZL, Li LF, et al. REE Composition of Nephrite Jades from Major Mines in China and Their Significance for Indicating Origin. Journal of the Chinese Society of Rare Earths. 2013;31(06):738-748 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Zhang YY, Qiu ZL, Yang JN, et al. The geological and geochemical characteristics of nephrites in Maxianshan， Gansu province and their implication for the raw material source of the Qijia Culture jade wares. Acta Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis Sunyatseni. 2018;57(02):1-11 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Yu HY, Ruan QF, Liao BL, et al. Geochemical characteristics and Ar-Ar dating of different deposits in Qinghai Province. Acta Petrologica et Mineralogica. 2018;37(04):655-668 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Li KX, Jiang TL, Xing LC, et al. A Preliminary Study on Mineralogy and Ore Deposits Genetical Model of Luodian Nephrite Jade, Luodian, Guizhou Province, China. Acta Mineralogica Sinica. 2014;34(02):223-233 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Zhang YY, Yu HY, Lan Y, et al. Mineralogy and Sr Isotope Characteristics of Dahua Stratified Tremolite Nephrite and Host Rocks, Guangxi Province, China. Minerals. 2024;14(3):257. Li J, Gao J, Tong XR, et al. Comparative Study of Characteristics of Nephrites from Liyang Jiangsu Province and Zhuangqiaofen Site Zhejiang Province. Journal of Gems & Gemmology. 2010;12(03):19-25+33 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Wang SQ, Zhao CH, Yu G, et al. XiuYan Jades in China, Beijing: Science Press; 2007:33-37 (in Chinese) . Chen GK, Qiu ZL, Jiang CN, et al. Archaeological Survey Report on the Hanxia Jade Mine Site in Dunhuang, Gansu. Archaeology and Cultural Relics. 2019;(04):12-22 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Chen GK, Wang H, Yang YG, et al. Brief Report on the 2012 Excavation of the Mazongshan Jade Mine Site in Subei County, Gansu. Archaeology. 2016;(01):40-53+2 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Chen GK, Yang YS. Preliminary Archaeological Observations on Early Mining Activities of the Tremolite Deposits in the Hexi Corridor. Dunhuang Research. 2021;(05): 85-94 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Yi H. The Golden Jade Road and the Formation of the Eurasian World System. Social Science Front. 2016;(04):73-80(in Chinese with English abstract). Ye SX, Tang QC. The Jade Road. The Journal of Humanities. 2015;(08):57-66 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Yan YL. Discussion on the Issues of the Jade Road. Archaeology and Cultural Relics. 2010;(03):38-41 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Li YX, Tan YC, Jia Q, et al. Preliminary Investigation of Two Ancient Turquoise Mine Sites in Hami, Xinjiang. Archaeology and Cultural Relics. 2019;(06):22-27 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Fang Q. Archaeological Analysis of 'Sui as the Great State of the Han East' — With Consideration of the Zeng and Chu Relationship during the Two Zhou Periods. Marquis Mu Mu Zeng: Zeng State Cemetery at Guojiamiao, Zaoyang. Beijing: Cultural Relics Press; 2015.pp10-15 (in Chinese) . Du Y. Analysis of Jade Artifacts Unearthed from the Guojiamiao Cemetery in Zaoyang. Journal of Hunan Archaeology. 2020;(00):240-251 (in Chinese with English abstract) . Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 01 Mar, 2025 Read the published version in npj Heritage Science → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 01 Sep, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 31 Aug, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 31 Aug, 2024 First submitted to journal 27 Aug, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4984741","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":348037819,"identity":"40666ed0-fec7-4001-90c0-9a13e7239601","order_by":0,"name":"Jifu Liu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jifu","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":348037820,"identity":"797183ee-b200-4b7e-bb27-1d9eb62cd2ae","order_by":1,"name":"Yi Cao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yi","middleName":"","lastName":"Cao","suffix":""},{"id":348037821,"identity":"df6cc75a-9ac8-4a36-acd8-04e22dd08cb0","order_by":2,"name":"Xuan Yu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xuan","middleName":"","lastName":"Yu","suffix":""},{"id":348037823,"identity":"0685ba52-75bd-4d0e-9269-849ffdc8b6e2","order_by":3,"name":"Mingxing Yang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAvUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYNCCCgglQYKWMyRrYWwjRYvB8bOHX/ycZ5c434H54G0eBrs8wlrO5KVZ9m5LTtx4gC3ZmochuZiwlgM5ZsaM2w4kbmzgMZPmYTiQ2EBQy/k3QC1zQFr4vxGp5UaO8WPGhgOJ8xl42IjTInnjjRljz7Fk4w3MbMaWcwySCWvhO59j/OFHjZ3s/PbmhzfeVNgR1qJwgIENHB0Gh8EkIfVAIN/AwPwByhgFo2AUjIJRgB0AAL/TPSYMM8waAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mingxing","middleName":"","lastName":"Yang","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-08-27 13:06:08","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4984741/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4984741/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-025-01556-7","type":"published","date":"2025-03-01T15:57:19+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":65715332,"identity":"4760ebba-9a2e-497e-a8a1-492863d60607","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:35:09","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1517725,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSample of Jade Mineral Source Study Unearthed from Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/04ec21dab345695dc995c940.png"},{"id":65715334,"identity":"f3f9f6d5-c71a-4266-9ae5-9770a9275b95","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:35:09","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":8562157,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eInfrared spectra of jade mineral source study samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/63b21050e21a322b01ff9e8c.png"},{"id":65715340,"identity":"06b01023-8b09-462a-bbff-a817a00cab9c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:35:09","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":8115493,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eLaser Raman spectra of jade mineral source study samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/8a60f7976e37a44d4d45ea41.png"},{"id":65715339,"identity":"ea10af63-9d82-446c-a87c-ccab4515e012","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:35:09","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":4343777,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eChondrite-Normalized REE Patterns of Jade Artifact Samples for Mineral Source Analysis from the Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/a03bf3f3fc768d30bf09c4f5.png"},{"id":65715342,"identity":"01f5e227-136c-4368-b7cf-e86b57f6ef0c","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:35:09","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":7974791,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSpider Diagram of Trace Elements in Jade Artifact Samples for Mineral Source Analysis from the Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/40822b3e8a91323e983f0e92.png"},{"id":65715333,"identity":"d2161a29-8a40-4c92-bf46-ba7abc9780cc","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:35:09","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1232287,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eStructural characteristics of the jade samples excavated at Guojiamiao\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/1c67d86a9b42ab92e2881d0d.png"},{"id":65716450,"identity":"04564895-a522-4c6f-86e6-66fd9e9c39b8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:43:09","extension":"png","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":764678,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCharacteristics of impurity minerals in jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure7.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/83718ba47d7f8445f652f50b.png"},{"id":65716447,"identity":"144d5106-2b90-4cda-842f-4dc2e54ad2fd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:43:09","extension":"png","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":1230232,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCharacteristics of the protolithic epidermis of jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure8.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/00f7f33174b033149aecca19.png"},{"id":65716604,"identity":"ca4cad8d-2692-419f-8f18-ec22fab2d29d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:51:09","extension":"png","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":460775,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eCharacteristics of the original skin color of the jade samples excavated at Guojiamiao\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure9.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/10bc0523e8094e3a9da8ee50.png"},{"id":65717221,"identity":"d9d77834-083b-46e1-bbac-83509ba2b74b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-10-01 15:59:09","extension":"png","order_by":10,"title":"Figure 10","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":301181,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTrace element mineral sources in casts of jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao. A. The trace element composition of the jade artifacts found at the Guojiamiao Cemetery matches that of the northwest and northeast regions, which are two of China's major tremolite jade-producing areas. B. A statistical frequency analysis comparing the jade artifacts from Guojiamiao Cemetery with those from the northwest and northeast regions of China demonstrates that their trace element compositions more closely resemble those from the northwest region. C. Further division of the northwest region into the Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai subregions, based on mathematical discrimination results, indicates that the raw material sources of the jade artifacts from Guojiamiao Cemetery are located between the Xinjiang and Gansu subregions.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Figure10.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/9391befeeb796d036bd1b7cf.png"},{"id":77623858,"identity":"422a6640-c7de-4f5a-ae78-4ef5a731e4da","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-03-03 16:12:02","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":36503741,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4984741/v1/748203c1-2353-4936-8e0e-90bfcde92f5f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Mineral origin of tremolite jade artifacts from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Hubei, China: based on petrology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eExcavated jade artifacts play an indispensable role in forming the pattern of Chinese unity in diversity \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. Among the many materials of jade, tremolite, because of its unique mineralogical attributes, was widely used in several jade-using cultural circles in prehistory. The origin of its ore is a crucial focus of research in jade archaeology. It can shed light on how the ruling class managed the distribution of valuable resources and provide insight into the organizational form and social structure of ancient societies. The study of mineral sources can help us understand how precious resources were distributed and managed by the ruling class. It can also give us insights into the organization and social structure of ancient societies. Furthermore, it provides physical data for in-depth research on the interaction and exchange between different cultural systems.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTremolite can be classified into serpentine and marble types based on the type of ore-forming parent rock. The contact-accounted marble type is the main genesis type of high-quality tremolite jade \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. The improvement of modern jade deposit research, the convenience of the technical means of spectroscopic testing, and the iteration of the geochemical testing methods, etc., have laid the foundation for the identification of the mineral source of the unearthed tremolite jade \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. Based on the distribution of tremolite jade in China\u0026rsquo;s marble-type deposits, it can be roughly divided by geographic regions into the Northwest Region (Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu), the Southwest Region (Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi), the Southeast Region (Jiangsu), the Northeast Region (Liaoning), and the North China Region (Hebei), among others. Jade materials from different regions often exhibit variations in structure, color, surface texture, trace elements, isotopes, rare earth elements, and other characteristics due to differences in the age, environment, and conditions of formation. By utilizing these differences, methods such as the in situ proximity judgment method, cluster analysis method, inferred mining site method, stratified research method for tracing mining sites, and typical feature analysis for cross-verification can be applied to objectively determine the raw material sources of excavated jade artifacts \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis paper aims to study 30 tremolite jade artifacts unearthed from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, utilizing methodologies from gemology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry. The study characterizes the morphological features, spectral properties, and major and trace element characteristics of the samples, with a focus on analyzing the mineral sources of the jade artifacts from the Guojiamiao Cemetery. This research provides fundamental data for further exploration of the formation, development, and changes in the Zeng State's jade usage system during the Eastern Zhou period.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"The archaeological context and samples","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe Background of Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Guojiamiao Cemetery, a large noble burial site of the Zeng State from the Late Western Zhou to Early Spring and Autumn periods, is located in the first and second groups of Dongzhaohu Village, Wudian Town, Zaoyang City, Hubei Province, China. It is situated about 20 kilometers northwest of Zaoyang's urban area, south of the Gun River, with the Huayang River to the east, and is distributed along a north-south ridge (also known as Luojiagang\u0026ndash;Chunshugang)\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. The cemetery can be divided into the Guojiamiao burial area and the Caomenwan burial area, separated by a low-lying area between the two ridges.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlthough some tombs in this cemetery were severely looted, two rescue excavations in 2002 and 2014 still yielded a large number of artifacts, including bronzes, jade artifacts, pottery, lacquerware, and gold and silver items, among which 322 pieces are jade artifacts\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. The types of jade artifacts found in this cemetery primarily include jade rings, jade bo-shaped objects, jade beads, jade pendants, jade bi discs, jade cong tubes, and jade huang pendants. The materials include tremolite, serpentine, red agate, fluorite, turquoise, mica, faience, and others, with tremolite being the primary material used for the jade artifacts unearthed from this cemetery.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eExcavated Jade Samples\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis paper selects 30 representative tremolite jade artifacts unearthed from the Guojiamiao Cemetery (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e) and examines their appearance and structural features through microscopy (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). To determine the mineral sources, the analysis focuses on eight features including the stone's surface texture, surface color, impurity minerals, color, structure, major elements, trace elements, and rare earth elements.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAppearance characteristics and structural features of jade mineralization study samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTomb Number\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSample Number\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eArtifact Type\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAppearance Description\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStructural Characteristics\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCM17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUneven Thickness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternally contains a large amount of fibrous inclusions arranged in parallel, sheet-like formations\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSevere surface erosion, showing a bone-white color\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Jue opening contains staining distributed along the cracks\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurface slightly weathered, with a small amount of yellow-brown coating\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternally, there are numerous white, fleck-like fibrous inclusions distributed in a spotted pattern\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurface slightly weathered, with a small amount of caramel-colored coating on the edges\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYellow staining at breaks and surface fissure areas\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne side decorated with dragon patterns, with original cracks\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDistribution of green dotted and flaky inclusions along fissures\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlightly percolated surface, fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnevenly distributed sugar-coloured dip on the body of the vessel\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDecorated with dragons on one side, with original cracks\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConsistent with the GM30-55 instrument type, for throwing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Ornament in the Shape of a Bundled Silk\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eShaded lines, slightly brownish on the reverse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnly one hole is penetrated, the other three are not, and tremolite is seen in vein-like, multiphase distribution along the body of the vessel\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eShaded lines, slightly brownish on the reverse\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOnly one hole is penetrated, the other three are not, and tremolite is seen in vein-like, multiphase distribution along the body of the vessel\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne side decorated with animal face motifs, sugar-coloured\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConcretionary rims, heavily percolated; unifacial drilled hole in the centre\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDragon pattern, for drilling holes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSugar-coloured seeps along the fissures\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSquare Waist Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne side decorated with animal face motifs\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eContaining dark coloured lamellar inclusions in the interior, with two central counterbore holes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurface white, decorated with dragons on one side\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTremolite grains are seen in short clusters on the surface of the vessel.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle-sided decorated with dragon motifs, broken and glued in place\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe body has a large number of cracks distributed along the interstices of the tremolite grains, suspected to be fire marks; the sugar colour is deep and different from the natural sugar colour\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e031\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSquare Jade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDragon's head, slightly percolated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFine jade, no obvious impurity minerals\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Tube\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite seepage and yellow skin at one end\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe body of the vessel has a cut mark perpendicular to the face of the column\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003esurface seepage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMargins with a yellow dip distributed along the fissure\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eplain and undecorated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSurface slightly weathered, appearing white; black material fills the cracks\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Tube\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe surface is decorated with dragon motifs, slightly white in colour\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCross-section shaded at one end; single-sided drilling\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePlain, with numerous white dots on the surface\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInterior contains punctate green inclusions\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLate translucent amphibole can be seen as vein-filling, with slight surface seepage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe body shows that the jade is located in an arid environment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSquare Waist Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFew tremolites, large concretionary contacts\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSevere erosion of concreted areas\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBar-shaped Jade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCut marks\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe overall body of the vessel is maroon in colour, with a flaky concretion on one side, which is suspected to be a later colour change\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlightly percolated surface, no decoration\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternal black inclusions of pitting minerals\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSlightly percolated surface, no decoration\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInternal black inclusions of pitting minerals\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Jue\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003esurface seepage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOne side of the penannular mouth only has an incised line, the rest of the penannular mouth is plain\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePointed Jade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite and black colouring on the bevelled surface, with cut marks\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade is delicate\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSquare Jade Plaque\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEdges, sugared, slightly seeping surface\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCutting marks are evident\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e104\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmall Jade Bi\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003evegetarian\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConcentric ring of drill marks near hole edge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e105\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade Ornament\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade ornament in the form of a bundle of silk, with a reduced ground and sunburst pattern\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eClear traces of emery cut, with white cottony inclusions inside\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMethods of analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMorphological Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe preliminary observation of the surface and internal features of the samples, inclusion features were observed using an optical microscope from the gemological institute, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), and the local microscopic features were photographed using a super depth of-field stereomicroscope of Leica M205A from the gemological institute, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), with an objective lens model of 10450191, a magnification of 0.25, a working distance of 303 mm, and a diameter of 58 mm.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eInfrared Spectroscopy Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe material identification of the samples was carried out using a micro-infrared spectrometer (Bruker Optics Hyperion 3000). Infrared spectroscopy was carried out using the reflectance method with a resolution of 4cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, a measuring range of 400-4000cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, a scanning time of 64s, and several scans of 64. The data were processed by the K-K transformation.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eRaman Spectroscopy Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe samples were analyzed for impurity mineral composition using a microconfocal Raman spectrometer (instrument model: JASCO NRS-7500). Test conditions: laser 532nm, power attenuation sheet 100%, grating 1800nm, measurement range 100-4000cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, acquisition time 20s, accumulation times 3 times, resolution 0.9cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eTrace Element Analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe samples were analyzed for the chemical element content of the trace elements using an Agilent 7700e laser stripping inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Test conditions: laser energy 80 mJ, energy density 5.5 J/cm \u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e, laser stripping spot diameter 44 \u0026micro;m, frequency 5 Hz, number of laser stripping 250 pauls. Synthetic glass NIST 610, BCR-2G, BHVO-2G, and BIR-1G (USGS series) were used as external standards for the tests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Test results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eInfrared spectroscopy\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe infrared spectra of the 30 samples analyzed this time are all by the standard spectral peaks of tremolite. The characteristic peaks are mainly concentrated in the mid-infrared fingerprint region from 1200 to 400cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, including 1139, 1071, 1046, 994, 925, 763, 688, 540, 515, 467cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, of which 1139, 1071, 1046, 994, 925cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e are the anti-symmetric telescopic vibration of O-Si-O and Si-O-Si and the O-Si-O symmetric stretching vibrations, 763, 688cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e are Si-O-Si symmetric stretching vibrations, 540, 515, 467cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e are Si-O bending vibrations and M-O lattice vibrations \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eRaman spectroscopy\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Raman spectra of the 30 samples analyzed in this work all conform to the standard spectral peaks of tremolite. The characteristic peaks are concentrated in the fingerprint frequency region from 100 to 1200 and from 3600 to 3700cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e Raman shifts, including 173, 225, 370, 396, 672, 925, 1021, 1060, 3634, 3674cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, in which the Raman shifts caused by the stretching vibration of M-OH are located in 3674 and 3634cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, the Raman shifts caused by the stretching vibration of Si-O Raman shifts due to Si-O stretching vibrations are located at 1060, 1021, and 925 cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, Raman shifts due to Si-O-Si stretching vibrations are located at 672 cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1\u003c/sup\u003e, and Raman shifts due to M-O lattice vibrations are located at 396, 370, 225, 173 cm \u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eGeochemical Characteristics\u003c/b\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e1. Primary elements\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe LA-ICP-MS test results show that the main components of jade excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery are SiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e, MgO and CaO, of which the content of SiO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e is 58.14\u0026ndash;61.95 wt.% (mean value 59.88 wt.%), the content of MgO is 22.67\u0026ndash;25.08 wt.% (mean value 23.79 wt.%), and the content of CaO 13.24\u0026ndash;15.99 wt.% (mean value 14.38 wt.%), and its content is consistent with that of dacite-type tremolite jade. 15.99 wt.% (mean value 14.38 wt.%), and its content is consistent with that of dacite-type tremolite jade.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn addition, the TFeO content of the samples ranged from 0.21 to 1.26 wt.% (mean value 0.71 wt.%), and according to the nomenclature of the hornblende group developed by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), tremolite, actinolite, and ferrierite are classified based on the percentage of Mg \u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e and Fe \u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e per unit molecule. The classification rules for tremolite, caliche, and iron actinolite are as follows: R\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e (R\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e=Mg \u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e / (Mg \u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e +Fe \u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e )) is tremolite in the range of 0.90-1.00, actinolite in the range of 0.50\u0026ndash;0.90, and iron actinolite in the range of 0.00-0.50 \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. The R\u003csup\u003e*\u003c/sup\u003e range of the calculated samples is between 0.94 and 0.99, indicating that the main component of the batch of samples is tremolite.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2. Rare earth elements\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe rare earth elements in the LA-ICP-MS test data were standardized based on the globular meteorite data proposed by Palme H (2014), and the standardized illustration of trace element globular meteorites was plotted (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e) \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. The results show that the rare earth partitioning pattern of the tremolite jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery is horizontal seagull-like as a whole, with total rare earth (\u0026sum;REE) ranging from 0.93 to 22.64 mg/kg, with an average value of 5.26 mg/kg, the total rare earth is generally low, and its ore-forming host rock is basaltic; the ratio of light and heavy rare earth (LREE/HREE) ranges from 0.38 to 5.29, with an average value of 2.07. The ratio of light to heavy rare earth (LREE/HREE) ranges from 0.38 to 5.29, with an average value of 2.07, and the difference between light and heavy rare earth is not obvious; the europium anomaly (δEu) ranges from 0.12 to 1.67, with an average value of 0.57, which shows an obvious negative anomaly; the cerium anomaly (δCe) ranges from 0.23 to 1.11, with an average value of 0.78, which shows a slightly negative anomaly.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParameters of rare earth elements in jade mineral source study samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eΣREE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLREE/HREE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e(La/Sm)N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e(Gd/Lu)N\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eδEu*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eδCe*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaximum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.44\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMinimum\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAverage\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.00\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedian\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.62\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.51\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.81\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003eNote: * indicates δEu\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2EuN/(SmN\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;GdN), δCe\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2CeN/(LaN\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;PrN).\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3. Trace elements\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrace elements tested by LA-ICP-MS were normalized to the raw mantle trace element data published by S.-s. Sun and W.F. McDonough in 1989 and a trace element spidergram was produced \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. The trace element spidergrams are an expansion of the rare earth element partitioning pattern and allow an analysis of sample deviation relative to the primitive mantle. The results show that there are obvious positive anomalies for U and negative anomalies for Ba in the trace elements of the tested samples, while there are relative enrichments of Rb and Sr in the large ionophilic elements and relative losses of Th, Zr, and Hf in the high-field-strength elements.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eJade quality\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe materials of the 30 jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery are all tremolite, and the test results of their infrared spectra, Raman spectra, and principal components are all in line with the standard values. In terms of color, the 30 pieces of tremolite jade excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery can be classified as green, greenish-white, white, sugar-colored, and sugar-white, with greenish-white accounting for the largest number of samples, and only GM86:104 of the samples tested this time are pure white, specifically: 5 pieces of green jade, 12 pieces of greenish-white jade, 8 pieces of white jade and 5 pieces of sugar-white jade. In terms of texture, this test sample of tremolite jade samples from the Guojiamiao Cemetery has a fine structure, with a greasy luster, and most of the samples have a low degree of whitening by percolation, and tremolite crystals can be seen to have a short fibrous distribution in the percolated areas, and in GM76:1 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e. C) tremolite can be seen to have a vein-like distribution, and it shows the phenomenon of multiphase formation, and the transparency of tremolite formed in the later phases is obviously higher than that in the earlier phases, which is similar to the characteristic of \"watery water\", and is also similar to that of \"watery water\". Its characteristics are similar to the \"water line\". In terms of impurity minerals, there are fewer impurity minerals in the tremolite jade samples excavated from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, mostly white inclusions distributed in the form of cotton wool, basically free of black inclusions such as graphite, and a few samples have dark-colored impurity minerals distributed along the fissures, for example, there is a pristine dissolution pore space filled with yellow-brown impurity minerals in CM17:3 (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e. A).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, from the characteristics of the material, color, texture, and impurity minerals of the samples in this batch, it can be seen that the mineral material of the tremolite jade artifacts excavated from the Guojiamiao Cemetery is of high-quality tremolite.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eThe grade of jade used\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA total of 108 burials were excavated at Guojiamiao Cemetery from 2014 to 2015. The burials can be categorized into large-sized, medium-sized, and small-sized based on the size of the grave, the presence of a tomb passageway, the type of coffins, burial tools, and the number of unearthed artifacts. The small-sized burials can be further divided into bronze tombs and ceramic tombs. The samples for this paper were obtained from 10 medium-sized tombs and 4 small-sized tombs. There is no obvious difference between the medium-sized tombs and the small-sized tombs in terms of the quality of the jade, according to the archaeological excavation. However, the medium-sized tombs have a significantly larger number of burials than the small-sized tombs. It's important to note that the samples tested this time were only some of the tremolite jade objects from the medium-sized and small-sized burials. Therefore, it is not possible to determine the difference in the grade of jade used in the Guojiamiao Cemetery, and further research is needed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eJade description of tremolite jade samples excavated from different grades of burials in Guojiamiao Cemetery\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBurial type\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGrave number\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSample number\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDescription of Jade Texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"9\" rowspan=\"10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMedium-sized tomb\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM29\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2、7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish white jade, fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2、3、55、65\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreen and white jade with fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45、59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish-white jade and sugar jade, with exquisite decoration and choice of materials\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1、49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish white jade and sugar jade with fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e05、06、031\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite and greenish-white jade with fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish white jade with fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM74\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1、4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish white jade and sugar white jade with fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1、26、34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish white jade, sugar jade, poor texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7、8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish white jade with fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e104、105\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreen and white jade with fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSmall-sized tomb\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;1、10\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;5、10\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish white jade, sugar white jade, uneven colour, finer texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish-white, uneven in colour, more delicate in texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGM83\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2、3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhite, semi-finished jade, fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCM17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGreenish white, fine texture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMineral sources\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the analysis of the eight characteristics of the jade excavated from Guojiamiao, including the epidermis of the original stone, the skin color of the original stone, the impurity minerals, the color, the structure, the principal elements, the rare earth elements, the trace elements, etc., the first five items are the macroscopic characteristics of the jade material, to preliminarily judge the environment in which it was formed and the crystalline state of the jade material itself, and then construct the numerical mineral source discrimination model according to the characteristics of the principal trace elements of the latter three items, and achieve the mineral source discrimination based on the difference in the geochemical characteristics of the jade material. Then we constructed a mathematical mineral source discrimination model based on the main trace element characteristics of the latter three items, and based on the differences in geochemical characteristics of the jade materials, we achieved the distinction of mineral sources, and thus judged the sources of the samples.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec20\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e1. Jade Macro Characteristics\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe yellowish-brown skin layer retained by the original mineral material can be seen in the tremolite jade objects excavated from the Guojiamiao Cemetery (e.g. GM83:3), and the original peridot contact zone retained on the edges of some of the jade objects, which are heavily percolated (e.g. GM39:10\u0026thinsp;\u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;7). A yellowish primitive skin color can also be seen on the surface of some high-quality jade (e.g. GM 55:06), and jade objects that retain the primitive skin color usually have a fine, even texture and a greasy luster, which was formed by oxidation after being formed in the primitive strata and then naturally transported to the surface or near the surface. The primitive skin and primitive skin color are typical features of tremolite jade produced in the northwestern part of China, and it is assumed that this batch of jade originated from the northwestern part of China.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec21\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2. Rare earth element discrimination model\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eRare earth elements in minerals are often differentiated according to their mineralization environments, which can be reflected geochemically by the total amount of rare earth (\u0026sum;REE), the ratio of light to heavy rare earth (LREE/HREE), and the europium and cerium anomalies (δEu) and (δCe), etc. The values of LREE/HREE and δCe are more effective in distinguishing between nephrites of different origins, which reflects the differences in the parent rocks and the geochemical properties of nephrites of different origins. The LREE/HREE and δCe values are good for distinguishing nephrites from different origins, reflecting that there are some differences in the parent rocks, fluid sources, geochemical properties, and formation environments of different origins [11]. Previous studies have shown that the major tremolite jade production areas in China can be divided into three groups according to the rare earth distribution pattern: the first group is Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai, which is characterized by the low total amount of rare earth, inconspicuous light-heavy rare earth, horizontal seagull shape, and obvious europium-negative anomalies; the second group is Luodian, Guizhou and Dahua, Guangxi, which is characterized by the high total amount of rare earth, obvious light-heavy rare earth, rightward tilting phenomenon, inconspicuous Eu anomalies, and obvious Ce negative anomalies; the second group is Luo Dian and Dahua, Guizhou. The second group is from Luodian, Guizhou, and Dahua, Guangxi, showing high total rare earth, obvious differentiation between light and heavy rare earth, right-dipping phenomenon, insignificant Eu anomaly, and negative Ce anomaly; the third group is from Liyang, Jiangsu, showing low total rare earth, obvious differentiation between light and heavy rare earth, right-dipping phenomenon, and negative Eu anomaly; the fourth group is from Xiuyan, Liaoning, showing high total rare earth, obvious differentiation between light and heavy rare earth, right-dipping phenomenon, and negative Eu anomaly. The rare-earth partitioning pattern of the jade artifacts excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery shows that the total amount of rare earth is generally low, the light and heavy rare-earth differentiation is not obvious, and the Eu-negative anomalies are obvious, according to which it can be judged that the metallogenic environments of this batch of samples are comparable to those of the first group (Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTremolite jade samples excavated from Guojiamiao Cemetery and the rare earth element distribution pattern of Tremolite jade from major origins in China\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003egroups\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eprimary source area\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026sum;REE(mg/kg)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLREE/HREE\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eδEu\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eδCe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003etest group\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ethe guojiamiao cemetery\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.93\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;22.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(5.26)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.38\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;5.29\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(2.07)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.12\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;1.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.57)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.23\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;1.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.78)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYutian, Xinjiang\u003csup\u003e[7]\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.30\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;21.09\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(7.05)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;4.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(1.09)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.03\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;0.64\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.25)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;1.69\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(1.00)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMaxianshan, Gansu\u003csup\u003e[12]\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.69\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;15.11\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(6.30)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.16\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;4.68\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(1.55)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.10\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;1.14\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.29)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.28\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;2.82\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.94)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGolmud, Qinghai\u003csup\u003e[13]\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.29\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;40.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(5.82)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.55\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;3.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(1.48)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;0.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.47)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.84\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;1.45\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(1.12)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLuodian, Guizhou\u003csup\u003e[14]\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.79\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;34.60\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(26.95)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.80\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;8.25\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(6.70)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.63\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;0.87\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.73)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;0.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.26)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDahua, Guangxi\u003csup\u003e[15]\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.71\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;21.97\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(14.74)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.15\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;2.65\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(1.80)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.39\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;0.62\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.43)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;0.20\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.16)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLiyang, Jiangsu\u003csup\u003e[16]\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.49\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;10.43\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(5.57)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.31\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;8.67\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(5.44)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0ཞ1.06\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.43)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.68\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;1.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.85)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eXiuyan, Liaoning\u003csup\u003e[17]\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.79\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;98.47\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(43.91)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.62\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;29.46\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(14.54)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;2.61\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.71)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.08\u0026thinsp;~\u0026thinsp;1.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e(0.85)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec22\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3. Trace element discrimination model\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on the metallogenic law and geographic distribution of tremolite jade, the Chinese dacite-type tremolite jade mineral source discrimination model constructed by selecting a combination of multiple trace elements can indicate the origin of the unknown samples in terms of the production area. Since jade mining is a dynamic process of continuous discovery and abandonment, the discrimination results cannot be completely consistent with a certain mining area, so the ancient mining sources are different from the present jade mines. To attenuate the deviation of the results caused by this reason, the sources with the characteristics of a typical mining source or those found close to the ancient mining sites were chosen as the basic database as much as possible in the discrimination process. Trace element data from four regions and seven production areas, including the Northwest Region (Yutian, Xinjiang; Golmud, Qinghai; and Mabanshan, Gansu), Southwest Region (Luodian, Guizhou; and Dahua, Guangxi), Southeast Region (Liyang, Jiangsu), and Northeast Region (Xiuyan, Liaoning), were selected to identify the regions of the samples, and then the production areas following the method of tracing back the origin of the samples layer by layer to clarify the production areas of the tremolite jade materials unearthed in the Guojiamiao Cemetery. The range of the jade material was clarified by first identifying the major areas and then the production areas.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the regional discrimination, such as in Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e. A, Guojiamiao Cemetery excavated tremolite jade and China's Northwest Region and Northeast Region origin characteristics close to the elimination of the more obvious differences between the Southwest Region and Southeast Region and then cast a map, such as Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e. B can be found in this batch of samples and the Northwest Region is closer. Further cast map, the results show that (Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig10\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e. C) the test sample data and Qinghai Golmud is located in the East Kunlun Mountains high-altitude production area of the difference is more obvious, which is mainly distributed in Xinjiang and Gansu production area between, presumably the test sample ore source is located in Xinjiang, Yutian to the unknown mine between Gansu Maxianshan.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, based on the macroscopic characteristics of the tremolite jade artifacts excavated from the Guojiamiao Cemetery and the forms of rare earth elements and trace element combinations of these samples, it is evident that most of the jade materials from the Guojiamiao Cemetery period came from the low altitude region in the northwestern part of China.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe recent discovery of the Gansu Hanxia Jade Mining Site and the Mazongshan Jade Mining Site confirms that large-scale jade mining activities occurred in the Beishan region of Gansu during the Warring States period \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. It is believed that a jade mining road extended from Xinjiang to the inland areas via the Hexi Corridor from as early as the beginning of the Qijia culture period in 2000 BC \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. Some scholars have proposed the existence of a \"Jade Road\" supported by archaeological evidence, field visits, and experimental analyses \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR22\" citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. This road not only facilitated the transport of tremolite jade but also brought large quantities of turquoise and chalcopyrite jade \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eGuojiamiao Cemetery is an aristocratic cemetery from the late Western Zhou and early Spring and Autumn periods of the Zeng state. It holds significant historical importance during the transformation from Western Zhou to Eastern Zhou. According to archaeological findings, the Zeng state played a crucial role in containing the expansion of the Chu state during this period \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. The excavated materials from this cemetery indicate that it was culturally orthodox in terms of Zhou culture and also flourishing as a \"Hanyang ji\" \u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. The use of jade in a similar manner to the Zhou cultural circle suggests that the channels for obtaining jade were also similar to those of the Zhou royal family. However, with the decline of the royal family, the way of obtaining jade and its usage may have gradually changed.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe analysis of the tremolite jade samples excavated in Guojiamiao indicates that they are of high quality, with a fine texture and mostly retaining their original yellowish-brown epidermis. These characteristics are also present in tremolite jade affected by natural elements such as mountain running water, Gobi materials, and sub-materials. Considering the color and other traits, it is suggested that the tremolite jade originated from the northwestern region of China.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe analysis of the rare earth elements in the samples indicates a low total rare earth content, with no distinct light and heavy rare earth patterns but noticeable negative anomalies in the Eu. This suggests a metallogenic environment similar to the northwestern region of Xinjiang, Gansu, and Qinghai. Using a trace element discrimination model, the ore source can be inferred to be in the border region between northwestern Gansu and southeastern Xinjiang.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study suggests a stable supply of tremolite jade in Zeng Guo's noble cemeteries from the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn Period. The cultural influence of the Zeng state was still dominated by the Zhou culture, and the system of jade use followed Zhou rites. Analyzing the source of the tremolite jade from the Guojiamiao Cemetery is important for understanding jade usage from the early Western Zhou to the middle Warring States period.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgments\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are grateful to anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved the quality of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contributions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJL and MY performed the data analysis and were major contributors to writing the manuscript. YC analyzed the rare earth element and trace element data. XY analyzed the spectroscopy data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research is supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 20BKG30, and by the Archaeology of China under Grant No. [2020] 444.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFei XT. Ancient Chinese Jade Artifacts and the Unified Multi-Ethnic Framework of the Chinese Nation. 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Journal of Hunan Archaeology. 2020;(00):240-251\u003cstrong\u003e(in Chinese with English abstract)\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"npj-heritage-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"hsci","sideBox":"Learn more about [Heritage Science](http://heritagesciencejournal.springeropen.com)","snPcode":"40494","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/40494/3","title":"npj Heritage Science","twitterHandle":"@SpringerOpen","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"excavated jade, mineral source characteristics, spectral characteristics, rare earth elements, trace elements","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4984741/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4984741/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe origin of raw materials is a crucial area of study in jade archaeology, with significant importance for research on the interactions and exchanges of ancient cultures. The Guojiamiao Cemetery is situated in Zaoyang City, Hubei Province, China. It has undergone two protective excavations, one in 2004 and another in 2014. These excavations revealed that it is a large aristocratic cemetery of the Zeng State, dating from the late Western Zhou Dynasty to the early Spring and Autumn periods. The jade artifacts found at this site are of various types and exquisite in style, serving as significant burial objects. In this study, we used gemology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry methods to analyze 30 excavated jade artifacts in detail. We studied the types of minerals, the characteristics of their shapes, and the major trace elements of the materials. Additionally, we investigated where the tremolite jade artifacts found in this cemetery came from. We used a classification method to categorize different sources of tremolite jade based on the combinations of trace and rare earth elements associated with various regions. The study revealed that the raw materials for the jade artifacts found in Guojiamiao Cemetery originate from the northwest region of China, with a focus on areas from eastern Xinjiang to northwestern Gansu. The findings shed light on the origins of jade materials utilized by the Zeng State during various historical periods and their connection with the Chu State. Additionally, this research helps in understanding the evolution of civilization in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Mineral origin of tremolite jade artifacts from the Guojiamiao Cemetery, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, Hubei, China: based on petrology, spectroscopy, and geochemistry","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-10-01 15:35:03","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4984741/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2024-09-01T20:33:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-08-31T10:37:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-08-31T10:36:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Heritage Science","date":"2024-08-27T13:04:03+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"npj-heritage-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"hsci","sideBox":"Learn more about [Heritage Science](http://heritagesciencejournal.springeropen.com)","snPcode":"40494","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/40494/3","title":"npj Heritage Science","twitterHandle":"@SpringerOpen","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"05c66e24-481d-44d5-9d1d-ccb468b95764","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 1st, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-03-03T16:10:18+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-4984741","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-025-01556-7","journal":{"identity":"npj-heritage-science","isVorOnly":false,"title":"npj Heritage Science"},"publishedOn":"2025-03-01 15:57:19","publishedOnDateReadable":"March 1st, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2024-10-01 15:35:03","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s40494-025-01556-7","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-025-01556-7","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4984741","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4984741","identity":"rs-4984741","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}