Building an isoscape based on tooth enamel for human provenance estimation in Brazil.

In this study, we present a correlation between δO values of carbonate in tooth enamel samples from the modern Brazilian population and the available δO data for the meteoric water from the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP). Tooth enamel from 119 Brazilian individuals from five different regions of the country were analyzed. The δO isoscape obtained is in good agreement with the isoscape based on regional meteoric and drinking water. The regression matrix obtained for the δO values of the carbonate tooth enamel and meteoric water was used to build an isoscape using the regression-kriging approach. Our data show that Brazil can be divided in two main regions with respect to the δO values of the carbonate tooth enamel: (1) the most easterly part of the northeast region, which is characterized by a warm and dry climate and (2) the remainder of the country, stretching from the Amazon rain forest to the more southernly regions. The data herein reported can be used for forensic purposes related to human identification.