Investigation on a "tentacle-like" corrosion feature on Bronze Age tin-bronze objects

Studying the micro-structure of Austrian, Bosnian and Croatian Bronze Age objects made of tin bronze, a rare kind of corrosion feature, called in the following "tentacle-like" according to its specific way of penetrating the metallic matrix, was noted and investigated. Differing from the more classical intergranular, pitting, or crevice corrosion features, the "tentacle-like" corrosion is not following the grain boundaries, nor precisely positioned under the etching area, but penetrates mainly the crystal matrix without any apparent order. This paper discusses the first results achieved and the following hypotheses formulated in respect of the typology of this corrosion. The analyses were carried out by optical microscopy, Raman microspectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy equipped with EDX spectroscopy for quantitative analyses.