Multiple and single aliquot luminescence dating techniques applied to quartz extracted from Middle and Upper Weichselian loess,Zemechy, Czech Republic

This paper reports the application of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to relatively coarse grains (100–200 μm) of quartz extracted from loess. Two approaches were tested – a multiple aliquot technique and a new single aliquot approach, which is especially suited to the dating of small quantities of such grains found in some loess. The results are compared with infra‐red stimulated luminescence and thermoluminescence (TL) measurements on the finer‐grained (4–11 μm) polymineral fraction and TL measurements on the relatively coarse grains of quartz. The advantages of the new single aliquot (OSL) approach are described and the iterating, computer‐controlled measurement procedure is given. The automated iterative single aliquot regeneration (AISAR) method corrects for changes in luminescence sensitivity during the measurement sequence by monitoring the response to a test dose. Some initial measurements are presented for the loess section at Zemechy, Czech Republic, and these show that the AISAR method gives more precise results than those using a multiple aliquot method. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

Thermoluminescence dating of St. Croix ceramics: Chronology building in Southwestern Nova Scotia

Using the classic thermoluminescence (TL) dating technique for fired ceramic materials, we have obtained the first direct ages for five ceramic artifacts recovered from BfDa-1, a prehistoric archaeological site located in St. Croix, southcentral Nova Scotia. BfDa-1 is the only archaeological site in Nova Scotia to produce the full range of ceramic styles associated with the Woodland or Ceramic Period (c. 1050 B.C. to A.D. 1500); thus our new chronology can be used to revise the current local and regional ceramic chronologies. The five sherds from the St. Croix site yielded absolute gas of 1.15 ± 0.15 ka to 2.62 ± 0.29 ka (1 ka = 1000 years). The oldest of these TL ages was obtained on a sherd decorated with a pseudoscallop shell design and is in excellent agreement with a ¹⁴C date of 2500 ± 120 B.P. associated with Early Ceramic artifacts at this site. The other TL ages are in agreement with the relative ceramic chronology deduced from their decorative attributes. All five TL dates are in the correct depth-age order. This demonstrates that the recent excavations explored a part of the site which remained undisturbed in spite of extensive agricultural and horticultural activities in the vicinity in recent centuries. The dates also indicate a high degree of compression for the cultural remains at the site. They suggest a sediment deposition rate of 1.3 cm/100 yr during the early stages of the occupation period (2000–2600 yr B.P.), and a decrease in the deposition rate to 0.5 cm/100 yr during the last 2000 years. These dates provide the first successful application of TL dating to ceramics of the Minas Basin area. They confirm an initial hypothesis based on the stylistic attributes of ceramics recovered from BfDa-1, that human occupation at the site must have been of long duration. The excellent quality of the analytical data indicates that the TL dating technique should be well suited to the study of ceramic technology in other parts of the province, and that local mineralogy is suitable for optical dating of sediments at the site and elsewhere in Nova Scotia. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Zircon from sediments: A combined OSL and TL auto-regenerative dating technique

Auto-regenerative dating of zircon grains from fired materials has been shown to be a very powerful technique. The high internal dose rate in zircon gives a measurable auto-regenerated TL signal a few months after the natural TL measurement, allowing the determination of age without dosimetry. The technique has been extended to zircon grains from sediments, using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques to measure the natural signal. The auto-regenerated signal is only a few hundred photons and cannot be measured above background using present OSL techniques, so it is counted using the highly sensitive TL reader developed for fired zircon grains. Preliminary measurements on fired zircons are in good accord with TL dating and the known ages, but precision becomes poor for samples <1 ka in age. Possible improvements using auto-regenerative phototransfer TL dating are discussed.     

山西大同与晋中盆地全新世活动断裂定量研究中热释光与14C测年方法应用

文章通过对山西断陷系内4条边界活动断裂带开展全新世活动定量研究中实测的67个热释光测年样品及20个14C测年样品的实例分析,讨论了在断错地貌研究和探槽全新世古地震研究中,地层测年样品帮助确定断层活动事件年代、判断探槽内古地震事件的时间跨度、古地震事件的完整性及垂直断距的不确定性等方面发挥的作用;并讨论了少量热释光样品出现年代倒置现象的原因。     

Comparison of thermoluminescence and radiocarbon age-determinations from late-pleistocene alluvial deposits near Sydney, Australia

Radiocarbon and thermoluminescence (TL) age-determinations have been obtained for a large Pleistocene alluvial terrace on the Nepean River near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The deposit was laid down by a braided river system prior to the last glacial maximum. Six thoroughly pretreated samples of charcoal and degraded wood buried within gravels at the base of the terrace yielded apparent ¹⁴C ages of 37,000–42,000 yr B.P. These compare favorably with four TL determinations that gave apparent ages of 41,000–47,000 yr B.P. for the same deposit. Adjustment of the ¹⁴C ages to take geomagnetic effects into account further improves the correlation between these two independent dating techniques. In addition, ¹⁴C and TL correctly identified a reworked portion of the fine-grained alluvial overburden as being substantially younger than the main body of the terrace. These results augur well for the usefulness of TL age determinations of certain alluvial deposits.     

Geoarchaeological investigations of henson creek: A low-order tributary in Central Texas

A complex late Quaternary alluvial history was documented along Henson Creek, a low order tributary on the Fort Hood Military Reservation in central Texas. Three Quaternary alluvial landforms were recognized: terrace 2 (T2), terrace 1 (T1), and the modern floodplain (T0). The late Pleistocene T2 terrace may contain an array of sites spanning the entire known cultural record, while T1 may have sites spanning the last 5000 years only. Five fluvial units, three colluvial facies, two alluvial fan facies, and two buried paleosols were also recognized. Fluvial deposition was occurring approximately 15,000 yr B.P., 10,000-8000 yr B.P., 7000–4800 yr B.P., 1650-600 yr B.P., and during the last 400 years. Colluvial deposition was ongoing mainly in the early and middle Holocene, while alluvial fan aggradation was proceeding primarily in the middle Holocene. Because of erosional unconformities, there is minimal potential for recovering buried sites dating to intervals between depositional eposides for most of the drainage basin. Preservation potentials for buried sites are greatest in fine-grained fluvial deposits dating to the late Pleistocene, early Holocene, and parts of the late Holocene, and in fine-grained colluvial deposits dating to the early and middle Holocene. This investigation demonstrates that within the study area, and perhaps throughout much of central Texas, a greater continuum of sediments and preservation potentials exists in late Quaternary alluvial deposits of rivers than in low-order tributaries.     

The Nubian Aquifer in Southwest Egypt

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images, and topographic and groundwater data are used to understand heterogeneities of the Nubian Aquifer between 20–24.5°N and 25–32°E in southwest Egypt. New fluvial and structural interpretations emphasize that the desert landscape was produced by fluvial action, including newly mapped alluvial fans. In central locations, braided channels are spatially aligned with a NE structural trend, suggesting preferential water flow paths that are consistent with the local direction of groundwater flow. The alluvial fans and structurally enclosed channels coincide with gentle slopes and optimal recharge conditions (1–5%) derived from the new Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) slope map, indicating that these areas have high groundwater potential. The SAR interpretations are correlated with anomalies observed in groundwater data from 383 wells. Results suggest a relationship between the spatial organization of fluvial and structural features and the occurrence of low-salinity groundwater. Low-salinity water exists adjacent to the alluvial fans and in SW reaches of the structurally enclosed channels. Wells in the vicinity of structures contain low-salinity water, emphasizing that knowledge of structural features is essential to understand groundwater flow paths. The new approach is cost effective and noninvasive and can be applied throughout the eastern Sahara to assist in resource management decisions and support the much needed agricultural expansion.     

河流沉积学研究热点与进展--第11届国际河流沉积学大会综述

第11届国际河流沉积学大会于2017年7月17日-21日在加拿大卡尔加里大学举行,每四年举行一次的国际河流沉积学学术会议,吸引了当今北美、欧洲、澳洲及亚洲从事河流沉积学及相关学科研究的众多知名学者参会,研究成果充分体现了当前国际河流沉积学研究取得的重要进展和发展方向。重要进展有:1）河流动力学及其变化过程研究。其中包括将今论古法论现代河流沉积过程与古老地层对比,河道-洪泛平原体系的越岸复合沉积动力学,河流动力学与变化过程研究展望,恢复河道迁移过程:新一代平面图演化模式的讨论,冲积河流和基岩河流的湍流、颗粒间作用和沉积作用;2）陆缘河流。包括河流入海处的地貌动力学与沉积学,河流补给边缘的沉积物搬运、地貌和地层特征,干旱地区河流、冲积扇体系与风的相互作用,植被生长前、无植物生长、或是植被发育区河流的沉积过程研究;3）河流沉积地层及其地下资源。包括源-汇系统,"河流相模式"是否有用的讨论,辫状河、网状河、曲流河概念的厘定等;4）河流地貌变化。包括气候改变、泥泞植被洪泛平原等对河流沉积物通量、河流模式等产生影响,河道中冲积岛屿的演化和稳定河流的蛇曲化,河流环境中沉积物生物作用等。基于上述资料分析,认为河流演化过程从定性向定量化研究,物理模拟与数值模拟技术是河流沉积学研究不可或缺的手段,应用定量建模、数学计算等方法进行精准研究,碎屑锆石U-Pb定年技术是新一代从源到汇研究的重要工具等诸多方面,是我国学者应该重视并开展研究的方向。     

祁连山东段宝积山—红会煤盆地沉积环境与聚煤规律

位于祁连山东段的宝积山—红会盆地是一个典型的侏罗纪沉积盆地,侏罗纪煤系由冲积扇沉积体系,经过河流、湖泊三角洲沉积体系向湖泊沉积体系过渡的沉积序列组成,并充填于印支运动后的裂陷盆地内。盆地活动断裂边界的内侧发育冲积扇裙,向着不活动边缘的另一侧,逐渐被河流沉积体系和湿地沼泽系统替代。扇前湿地是主要聚煤场所,形成的煤层层数少,主煤层厚度变化大,煤体呈简单指状。扇前湿地泥炭沼泽具有富滋养或低位性质,形成的煤层灰分产率高,硫含量有明显的分带性,其变化取决于泥炭沼泽与冲积扇体的相应空间位置。     

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.     

U-series isochron dating of immature and mature calcretes as a basis for constructing Quaternary landform chronologies for the Sorbas basin, southeast Spain

Immature and mature calcretes from an alluvial terrace sequence in the Sorbas basin, southeast Spain, were dated by the U-series isochron technique. The immature horizons consistently produced statistically reliable ages of high precision. The mature horizons typically produced statistically unreliable ages but, because of linear trends in the dataset and low errors associated with each data point, it was still possible to place a best-fit isochron through the dataset to produce an age with low associated uncertainties. It is, however, only possible to prove that these statistically unreliable ages have geochronological significance if multiple isochron ages are produced for a single site, and if these multiple ages are stratigraphically consistent. The geochronological significance of such ages can be further proven if at least one of the multiple ages is statistically reliable. By using this technique to date calcretes that have formed during terrace aggradation and at the terrace surface after terrace abandonment it is possible not only to date the timing of terrace aggradation but also to constrain the age at which the river switched from aggradation to incision. This approach, therefore, constrains the timing of changes in fluvial processes more reliably than any currently used geochronological procedure and is appropriate for dating terrace sequences in dryland regions worldwide, wherever calcrete horizons are present.     

陆相伸展盆地的层序类型、结构和序列与充填模式--以冀中坳陷下第三系为例

陆相层序受自然地理景观、影响地层发育的地质营力及地层类型等因素影响,因此层序类型多种多样。在冀中坳陷同伸展期发育洪积层序、湖泊层序和冲积层序等三种层序类型。洪积层序是盆地伸展初期地貌反差较大物源供给充分气候干旱条件下发育的一种陆相层序类型,以冲积扇沉积为主,山高盆窄,汇水湖泊面积较小;湖泊层序发育在盆地强烈伸展基底快速沉降气候湿润湖泊水域宽深时期,湖泊水域宽,连通好,湖水深,是烃源岩发育的黄金时期。湖泊层序以湖泊沉积为主,其次为河流和少许冲积扇沉积。冲积层序是在盆地伸展末期地貌反差强度减弱物源距离逐渐加大时的沉积产物,主要为干旱气候条件下的河流、三角洲沉积,湖泊沉积局限。研究表明,影响陆相层序形成的构造、物源、气候等因素与湖泊水体或水平面变化构成一种多元“函数”关系,湖平面变化是上述因素的综合体现。陆相断陷盆地的层序结构大多与湖泊水体之间存在密切联系,因此层序的结构以三分为主。受地壳构造运动控制,断陷盆地发育的层序具有序列性,即下部洪积层序、中部湖泊层序和上部冲积层序。这种序列性是盆地充填对地壳幕式伸展的沉积响应。在盆地充填过程中,不同类型的陆相层序其体系域发育程度具有较大差异。一般地,洪积层序的低位域沉积?     

基于陆生植被对河流沉积作用的影响论上三叠统须家河组的冲积构架：以重庆永川普安剖面为例*

尽管还存在一些不同的认识和争论,陆生植被对河流沉积作用的影响,得到了越来越多的地质事实的支持,主要表现在以煤或泥炭的形式保存下来的碳质物质对河堤的保护,从而促进了曲流河与网状河的发育。四川盆地上三叠统须家河组为一套含有煤系地层的冲积序列为主的地层,属于具有前陆盆地性质的磨拉石序列,成为研究植被发育条件下河流序列的典型代表。重庆永川普安剖面的须家河组是以河流相沉积为主的须家河组的典型代表,包括6个正式的岩性段,在其中一段、三段和五段为含煤细粒碎屑岩组成的低能河流相地层,二段、四段和六段由砂质底荷载高能河流相沉积构成,岩石地层划分及其所反映出的旋回性成为层序地层的识别和划分的基础,从而将须家河组划分成3个河流相沉积层序。两个主要的特征赋予了普安剖面须家河组河流相层序序列重要意义：（1）总体向上变粗的而且与现行的河流相层序模式形成巨大差异的河流相沉积序列组成的冲积构架;（2）明显受到植被发育影响的高能底荷载河道相砂岩。基于植被发育对河流沉积作用的影响,对普安剖面须家河组的河流相沉积序列的观察与研究,对长期以来须家河组沉积相分析存在的较大争议将提供重要的线索和思考途径。     

Thermoluminescence dating of sediments

The potential for using the thermoluminescence behaviour of sediments for dating them was first recognized by Soviet scientists G.V. Morozov and V.N. Shelkoplyas, and for over a decade their TL dates, obtained from a variety of sediments, have appeared in the Soviet literature. Since 1977 TL sediment dates have been published by six additional groups using a variety of methods.In this review we describe the principles of TL dating, the various methods used, and contrast TL dating of sediments with the now well-accepted TL dating of pottery. We conclude that while TL dating has the potential to solve many sedimentary problems, more fundamental research needs to be carried out before such dates should be accepted. A set of criteria for acceptable dates is proposed.     

OSL and TL dating of buried podsols and overlying sands in Ostrobothnia,western Finland

In Ostrobothnia, western Finland, buried fossil soils have been recognised in a number of places in the sandy sediments that occur between glaciofluvial deposits and overlying till. Samples from the soil horizons as well as below and above them were taken for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. The same sites were also sampled for thermoluminescence (TL) dating. Altogether five TL dates and seventeen OSL dates were obtained. The OSL dates can be grouped into two age classes, (i) 120-163 ka and (ii) 76-106 ka, whereas all TL dates are of the order 135-155 ka. A comparison between the results obtained from the two dating methods shows that OSL dates are generally younger than the TL dates for the same sample. The discrepancy may arise partly from problems of setting a correct residual level in TL dating. If this is the case then the TL dates may indicate an upper limit for the true age. The results support the geological interpretation that the fossil soils were formed during the last interglacial, that the soil-forming processes possibly also continued during the first Early Weichselian stadial and interstadial (Brørup sensu lato), and that in general the till-covered glaciofluvial sequences, interpreted as eskers in Ostrobothnia, were deposited during the Saalian or Early Weichselian deglaciation.     

Lead isotopic analysis within a multiproxy approach to trace pottery sources. The example of White Slip II sherds from Late Bronze Age sites in Cyprus and Syria

Lead isotope analyses were carried out on fragments of White Slip II ware, a Late Bronze Age Cypriote pottery ware, and on raw materials possibly used for their production. Sherds originate from three Late Bronze Age sites (Hala Sultan Tekke and Sanidha in Cyprus and Minet el-Beida in Syria) and clays come from the surroundings of Sanidha, a production site for White Slip ware. X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) are combined with Pb isotope analyses to further investigate the effectiveness of the latter method within a multiproxy approach for pottery provenance study. The pottery sherds from the three sites are compared between themselves and with potential raw material. Additional X-ray diffraction (XRD) and analyses using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray detection (EDX) facility were performed on selected sherds and clays. This work confirms that the clay source used for pottery production in Sanidha derives from local weathered gabbro. It also shows that different origins can be proposed for White Slip II ware sherds from Hala Sultan Tekke and Minet el-Beida and that clays were prepared prior to White Slip II ware production. It finally confirms the effectiveness of Pb isotopes in tracing pottery provenance not only by comparing sherd assemblages but also by comparing sherds to potential raw materials.     

Chronology of desert margin in western India using improved luminescence dating protocols

The present study provides improved chronology for the desert margin fluvial sediments of semi-arid region located in the Mahi river basin, western India. The sequence has preserved a near-continuous record of climate change since the Last Interglacial. An earlier attempt of dating based on feldspar IRSL chronology shows a combined effect of anomalous fading and unbleached components resulting in age inversions. The present work tries to explore the possibility of using blue light stimulated luminescence (BLSL) of quartz, infra-red stimulated luminescence (IRSL) of feldspar and the newly developed methodologies, like natural correction factor based single aliquot regeneration (NCF-SAR) protocol and decision making schemes based on distribution of doses and beta heterogeneity concept for luminescence dating of sediments. Observations suggest that quartz suffered from significant sensitivity changes during natural signal measurement and partial bleaching. A combination of NCF-SAR protocol and sample specific equivalent dose computation helped in arriving at better age estimate for present samples. The study also compares the criteria for the selection of different age models that are used at present. The age of the alluvial sequence is now bracketed between 10 ka (upper aeolian unit) and 75 ka (lowermost fluvial unit).     

Geomorphological investigations and luminescence dating in the southern part of the Khangay and the Valley of the Gobi Lakes (Central Mongolia)

Geomorphological investigations in the catchment area of the Baydragiyn river along the southern slope of the Khangay and in the Valley of the Gobi Lakes in western Mongolia provide evidence for Late Quaternary glaciations and lake‐level changes. Thermoluminescence (TL) and infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating of aeolian and colluvial sediments from the central Khangay place the sediments that overlie fluvial and glaciofluvial terraces in the Holocene. An age of 21 ka is determined for a sand deposit overlying the terrace that is related to the last glacial ice‐margin. Lacustrine sediments from higher beach lines in the Valley of the Gobi Lakes provide evidence for a slightly more humid period around 1.5 ka, and a larger extent of the lakes in the Early Holocene at about 8.5 ka, as also reported from other parts of Central Asia. Remnants of lacustrine sediments buried by alluvial gravel, and indicating a huge palaeolake in the basin of the Orog Nuur, however, date to the early stage of the last glaciation around 70 ka. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.