ESR测年技术在第四纪冰川年代学中的研究综述

近些年,宇宙成因核素暴露年代、光释光和放射性碳埋藏年代等方法在第四纪冰碛物的年代测定中已经取得显著进展.但对于第四纪冰川沉积物10万年甚至百万年以上的冰碛物样品的埋藏年代和暴露年代,由于方法自身问题或沉积物后期地质地貌过程的改造,使上述方法存在定年方面的挑战.而电子自旋共振（ESR）广泛的测年范围,使其在第四纪样品的测年中发挥着不可替代的作用.目前,石英ESR信号的衰退特征已有许多研究进展,但是对于冰碛物中的ESR信号的研究还很少.ESR测年方法由于缺乏测年机理的研究,西方学者和国内一些测年学者对这种方法的定年存有疑虑.因此,我们在典型冰川区开展对冰碛物中石英砂ESR信号变化的机理研究,得到人工研磨可以使ESR信号强度下降到原来值的53%~69%,但并不能使ESR信号完全归零.如果在以后的研究中能够找出这些残留信号值大小,并予以扣除,将会大大提高ESR冰碛物测年精度.在今后的研究中应探求其测年机理,提高测试样品的石英纯度,增强ESR测年信号的精度,使这种方法成为冰碛物交叉测年中独立可信的测年方法之一,为第四纪冰川研究中的老冰碛物的定年提供准确的年代依据.     

石英电子自旋共振（ESR）的地学研究现状与展望

电子自旋共振（ESR）是一种对断层物质、燧石、火山灰和沉积物（水系、风成、冰川）定年的重要方法,它广为接受的测年范围为第四纪。对断层泥和沉积物样品,石英ESR信号的不完全归零往往使ESR年龄偏老,多重ESR中心法和颗粒大小“平顶判据”是判断信号归零特征的两种有效方法。为将ESR测年范围拓展至前第四纪,通常采用石英氧空位在加热转化后极大增强的E’心作为测年信号,但由于石英氧空位形成转化机理不明确,加热后增强的ESR信号与地质年龄的相关性有待进一步验证。近期研究表明石英ESR的封闭温度为49 ℃～82 ℃,可在比磷灰石（U-Th）/He更低的温度区间内研究地球近地表的构造演化过程。释光技术热年代学研究发展迅速,与之测年原理接近的ESR在低温热年代学领域展现了良好的应用前景,它与释光及磷灰石（U-Th）/He可相互比对、共同提高地球近地表构造和地形演化问题的分析精度。     

现代沉积物石英E’心的ESR测量

第四纪碎屑沉积物测年，尤其是对老于距今二十万年以上的样品，是目前第四纪年代学中的难点。ESR是可望能够直接测定这类样品的测年方法之一。本文详细测量了从不同地区采集的现代沉积样品石英E’心的古剂量值，其结果都小于4 000Gy。这与实验室光晒结果推测的并不一致。可能E’心存在目前还没有被了解的适合测年的内在原因，对于E’心能否真的用于沉积物测年有待于进一步的研究。     

沉积物的ESR测年

对沉积物中石英ESR测年的特性进行了较为详细地研究，可用沉积物中石英的Ge心信号进行ESR测年；根据石英E心饱和功率较小这一特性，采用较大的微波功率可以测得较老海洋沉积物（大于0.5Ma）的ESR年龄；石英E心的异常较照剂量响应是判断海岸风成沙环境的一个标志。此外，还介绍了沉积物ESR测年在地质上的应用。     

第四纪沉积物光释光测年中等效剂量测定方法的对比研究

准确地测定碎屑矿物沉积后吸收的等效剂量第四纪沉积物释光测年中最关键的一环。用光释光测年技术对几年全新世坡积物,古土地和黄土等样品中的石英,长石等碎屑矿物进行了测定等效剂量的对比研究。     

冰川沉积类型识别与ESR测年样品采样规范

电子自旋共振(ESR)技术是一种确定物质成分和结构的顺磁性质的分析方法,也能够用于沉积物定年。该方法的测量技术和测年的物理机制等还处于发展阶段。冰川作用过程十分复杂,形成各种类型的冰川沉积物,其顺磁信号的归零机制有显著差异,ESR测年的实验方案也有所差异。因此,识别冰碛物类型,采集合适的样品对于ESR测年的准确性十分重要。冰下融出碛和滞碛经过了冰下磨蚀过程,结构致密,细颗粒基质含量高,石英砂中的一些杂质芯的ESR信号能够衰退。许多冰上融出碛,结构疏松,但细颗粒基质含量高,不但经过了搬运过程中的冰下磨蚀过程使ESR信号衰退,又经历了沉积时的冰上阳光直射过程使信号衰退,一些样品的ESR信号能够完全晒退。冰水湖泊和冰水河流沉积的细砂和粉砂来源于冰下研磨的产物,信号会衰退;在搬运沉积过程中又可能被阳光直射,信号进一步衰退。其它类型的冰碛物的ESR信号衰退机制不明,或粒径不适合用ESR方法测年。采集冰碛物ESR年代样品时,最好同时采集信号衰退机制相同的现代冰碛物样品,以便对照,并用于扣除可能的残留信号。     

碎屑沉积物中石英低温Al心的ESR测年初探

老于20万年的碎屑沉积物的绝对测年方法急待建立。本文利用我国典型的碎屑沉积物——洛川黄土石英中的Al心，在115K温度下进行ESR测年研究，初步给出了4层黄土剖面的古剂量值。结果表明，古剂量值随地层深度的增加而呈增长趋势，说明利用ESR方法测定低温Al心可获得老于20万年的碎屑沉积物的地质年龄。     

泥河湾陆相沉积物光释光年代学研究及其对古湖泊演化的指示意义

对泥河湾盆地郝家台、后沟、红崖和虎头梁4个地点湖相及其上覆沉积物样品进行了光释光年代学研究.由于中粒石英的单片再生剂量法所测光释光信号已经达到了饱和,故采用中粒混合矿物的红外激发后高温红外激发方法,并对其异常衰退进行校正,这种方法利用长石的释光信号,饱和剂量较高,且异常衰退较小,为测量老样品提供了可能性.根据红外激发后高温红外激发光释光测年结果,郝家台、后沟和红崖地区现存泥河湾湖相顶部沉积物年龄为360～420ka,虎头梁湖相顶层沉积物年龄为约270ka,而郝家台和后沟湖相沉积物上覆黄土-古土壤年龄分别为约130ka和180ka.这些测年结果表明在泥河湾地区湖相沉积物顶层及其上覆沉积物之间广泛存在一个沉积间断,且不同地点湖相沉积物侵蚀的程度不同.因此,推测现在泥河湾地区出露的湖相沉积物顶层并不是当时古湖泊消失时的沉积,即至少部分古湖泊沉积的顶部已被侵蚀.     

石英E'心的热力学特征及其指示意义

石英EPR是一种利用矿物吸收的累积辐射能进行测年的技术方法,尽管多用于第四纪,但石英E'心在热活化后极大增强的EPR信号为拓展EPR的测年范围提供了契机.然而石英E'心的热活化条件及形成转化机理存在诸多争议.通过对花岗岩和断层带样品施加人工γ辐照,并通过步进式的阶梯退火实验,运用电子顺磁共振技术测定了不同辐射条件及温度条件下的石英E'心信号强度,探讨了石英E'心的增长和成因机理.结果表明,石英E'心可在常温常规γ辐照和高温加热2种条件下增长,并分别探讨了常温和高温E'心的测年方法及其地质意义.常温E'心的信号强度在150℃以下相对稳定,可用常规附加剂量法标定EPR信号强度以求取累积辐射能,常用于测定第四纪范围内断层的形成年龄;石英E'心在热活化后信号得到极大增强,可测定第四纪前的地质年龄,但需采用已知年龄的石英E'心热力学峰值强度作标杆或通过高剂量的γ辐照或中子辐照使氧空位再生,建立石英氧空位的剂量响应曲线以标定高温E'心代表的累积辐射能.E'心的热力学峰值通过步进式的阶梯退火实验确定,其在高温和常温时的信号强度比(I₂/I₁)具有记录辐射能和地质计时的意义.      

藏南裂谷区晚第四纪泉华的ESR测年适用性研究

藏南裂谷区泉华(硅华和钙华)是受区域构造运动控制的水热活动产物，其形成年代对研究该区域水热活动历史有着重要意义。电子自旋共振(ESR)测年法是一种测定泉华年龄的有效测年手段。但存在硅华样品成分复杂，其ESR测年信号具有混合叠加、相互干扰的现象，影响ESR信号的读取；且应用ESR测年法对藏南的钙华样品研究较少，不利于全面掌握藏南水热活动历史等问题。因此对藏南泉华样品ESR测年适用性的研究将有助于指导藏南地区泉华ESR测年的准确性，同时为开展区域构造活动研究提供扎实的年代学基础。该文选取藏南阿里—日喀则地区搭格架热田区的硅华样品和夏康坚温泉区的钙华样品，开展了泉华样品的ESR信号选取和附加剂量影响、钙华ESR信号热稳定性探究，进而得到相对准确的泉华发育年代。研究结果表明：搭格架热田区第三、四级阶地处硅华分别形成于81±16 ka、177±20 ka,夏康坚温泉区河漫滩和第一级阶地处的钙华分别沉积于106±32 ka、264±26 ka。辐照剂量方面，藏南泉华样品在0～7680 Gy范围内对人工附加剂量响应良好；温度方面，硅华受封闭温度影响较小，钙华g=2.0034心信号在20～250℃范围...     

Optically stimulated luminescence dating of fluvial deposits: a review

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating allows age determination of sediments deposited during the last glacial-interglacial cycle. This relatively new technique therefore enables chronological frameworks to be established for fluvial deposits that often cannot be dated by other means. The OSL signal of quartz and feldspar minerals is reset by light exposure during fluvial transport, and builds up as a result of ionizing radiation after burial of the minerals. Incomplete resetting of the OSL signal because of inadequate light exposure in the fluvial environment can result in age overestimations, especially for relatively young samples. Methods used for the detection of incomplete resetting, or poor bleaching, are reviewed. It is argued that technique s measuring the OSL signal from small subsamples (aliquots) are most promising for detecting poor bleaching and for obtaining the true age for a sample in which not all grains had their OSL signal completely removed at deposition. Quartz should be the mineral of choice, because it has been shown to yield the most reliable results and because its OSL signal is more rapidly reset than that of feldspar. Aliquot size should be small, with aliquots ideally consisting of a single grain of quartz for samples in which the majority of grains are poorly bleached. Using single-aliquot dating of coarse-grain quartz, age offsets between zero and a few thousand years have been found for modern fluvial deposits. The validity of single-aliquot quartz OSL dating has been demonstrated by application to known-age samples, but for the older age range (>˜13 ka) further proof of the accuracy of the method is essential. The application of quartz OSL dating to investigations of fluvial deposits opens a new realm of possibilities to be explored, as is highlighted by some examples of geological applications.     

Direct and indirect luminescence dating of tephra: A review

In Quaternary studies, tephras are widely used as marker horizons to correlate geological deposits. Therefore, accurate and precise dating is crucial. Among radiometric dating techniques, luminescence dating has the potential to date tephra directly using glass shards, volcanic minerals that formed during the eruption or mineral fragments that originate from the shattered country rock. Moreover, sediments that frame the tephra can be dated to attain an indirect age bracket. A review of numerous luminescence dating studies highlights the method's potential and challenges. While reliable direct dating of volcanic quartz and feldspar as a component in tephra is still methodically difficult mainly due to thermal and athermal signal instability, red thermoluminescence of volcanic quartz and the far-red emission of volcanic feldspar have been used successfully. Furthermore, the dating of xenolithic quartz within tephra shows great potential. Numerous studies date tephra successfully indirectly. Dating surrounding sediments is generally straightforward as long as samples are not taken too close to the tephra horizons. Here, issues arise from the occurrence of glass shards within the sediments or unreliable determination of dose rates. This includes relocation of radioelements, mixing of tephra into the sediment and disregarding different dose rates of adjacent material.     

Single quartz grain electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of a contemporary desert surface deposit,Eastern Desert,Egypt

Signal resetting by sunlight prior to burial is a crucial assumption in electron spin resonance (ESR) dating of sediments. This resetting process is expected to be completed to a greater extent in arid than in fluvial environments. The present paper investigates the natural and artificially irradiated signal intensity of Ti related centres in single quartz grains collected from the desert surface (Eastern Desert, Egypt) in order to test this hypothesis. The results suggest that in most grains both the Ti–Li and Ti–H signal are completely reset to zero. Additive dose curves based on the sum of both Ti centres show an anomaly in the low dose region. Possible causes for this behaviour are briefly discussed. Three fitting procedures are conducted and each of them shows a different palaeodose distribution with a rather large spread in D_E values. It is concluded that similar fossil deposits would be datable by single grain ESR using Q-band measurements of the Ti–Li or Ti–H signals in quartz.     

OSL signal resetting in young deposits determined with a pulsed photon‐stimulated luminescence (PPSL) unit

Optical Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) is a technique that can be used for dating geological materials deposited within the last half‐million years, including sediments transported by air, water or gravity, as well as rocks heated at high temperatures. Recently, several studies have shown that OSL can also provide information on sediment transport. The pulsed photon‐stimulated luminescence (PPSL) unit (also known as a portable OSL reader) developed by the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre is an instrument designed to read luminescence signals from bulk (untreated) sediment samples comprising poly‐mineral and poly‐grain fractions. In this contribution, we evaluate the potential of the PPSL unit to assess the degree of OSL signal resetting in 27 young deposits (<2 ka) transported by different geomorphic agents in volcanic, coastal and fluvial depositional settings located in Mexico. Our results are in agreement with previous findings that used the Risø TL/OSL reader, confirming that sediments transported by debrisflows contain the highest inherited luminesce signals. Infrared stimulation (IRSL) values in volcanic ash, lavas, and sand beach and dune deposits exhibit low scatter. However, with blue stimulation (BLSL) these samples reveal a large degree of scattering, attributed to charge transfer in the case of the coastal deposits and to the low sensitivity of quartz in the case of volcanic material. The luminescence signals of fluvial sediments exhibit a highly scattered distribution in both IRSL and BLSL. We conclude that the use of a PPSL unit is a simple approach to assess the degree of OSL signal resetting in deposits sourced from different geological environments. This research contributes to previous studies that have investigated new applications of the PPSL unit to assist in OSL dating of geological materials.     

冰川沉积释光测年： 采样策略与测试选择

释光测年是可对冰川地貌进行直接定年的一种测年技术,已被广泛应用于冰川沉积测年中,推动了第四纪冰川研究的深入发展。但冰川沉积释光测年还没有达到标准化的程度,实际应用中仍有不少问题需要探究,其中最受关注的是冰川沉积物释光信号晒退不完全的问题,即样品在埋藏前因曝光机会有限导致信号没有归零或仅部分归零。冰川沉积释光信号晒退程度与地貌部位和沉积环境密切相关。冰川沉积释光采样需注意几个方面：（1）详细的地貌学和沉积学调查及对采样点的选择;（2）较适合释光测年的冰水沉积和冰缘风成沉积采集及其与冰川作用期次的联系;（3）冰碛夹层中的冰水砂透镜体的选取;（4）冰碛垄采样时垂直与水平方向上的考量;（5）岩石释光测年的发展使砾石成为当前第四纪冰川释光测年采样的一种选择。室内进行释光等效剂量测试时,也有几个关键的选择：（1）粗颗粒石英光释光测年是末次冰期以来冰川作用的首选方法;（2）如果样品年代老于石英测年上限,或者石英不适合测试,则可考虑钾长石后红外高温释光测年方法;（3）单颗粒、小测片和岩石释光埋藏测年技术可以鉴别样品的晒退情况,是目前最适合冰川沉积释光测年的几种选择;（4）如有条件,尝试用不同矿物、不同粒径、不同方法进行测试对比和交叉检验。要获得第四纪冰川释光测年的最佳年代学结果,地貌学、沉积学和年代学的结合是非常必要的。