TL dating of malan loess in gansu province

TL dating technique is of great advantage for determining the initial time of storing energy (T₀) in an object to be analyzed. The sample is required to have undergone at least one thermal event, permitting all the residual storage to release. As a result, TL dating technique has found wide application in geochronology of pottery. The determination of T₀ of loess is mainly based on the fact that fine particles of which loess is composed will lose their storage in the process of transportation by wind. In our experiment TL dating technique was adopted to determine the ages of fine quartz grains, and the results were corrected for those of shine-fading experiment. TL dating of Malan loess specimens from Mt. Gaolanshan, Liugouhe near Lanzhou, Mt. Qijiadashan in Jingning and Baichaoyuan in Huining gave the age values of 2.6±0.1, 3.6±0,3. 4.7±0.5 and 10.0±0.6×10⁴ yr, respectively. The values indicate that the Malan loess began depositing in Late Pleisotocene, but the initial time and acumulation rate are different under different morphological conditions from place to place.     

Luminescence chronology of late pleistocene loess-paleosol and tephra sequences near Fairbanks, Alaska

Thermoluminescence (TL) and infrared-stimulated luminescence (IRSL) sediment-dating methods have been applied to paleosol- and tephra-bearing loess sequences younger than marine oxygen isotope stage (MIS) 7 at three important sites. TL ages indicate the development of significant paleosols ∼75,000 and ∼30,000 yr ago in the loess sequence at the Gold Hill site. Relatively minor soil development occurred ∼70,000 and ∼48,000 yr ago. Like the ∼75,000-yr-old soil, the 30,000-yr-old soil is apparently of global extent, and consistent in timing with inferred warm intervals elsewhere (e.g., Greenland, Europe, western and central China). At Birch Hill, replicate TL dating of primary loess combined with two earlier TL results from the same site, and with an earlier mean fission-track-glass-shard age of 140,000 ± 10,000 yr for the associated Old Crow tephra, yield a more precise numeric age of 142,300 ± 6600 yr for this Alaska/Yukon chronostratigraphic marker ash bed. Three of the TL ages at the Halfway House site are difficult to interpret, but combined with other evidence, they indicate: (1) the upper 5-6 m of loess from Halfway House is not part of the Gold Hill Loess (equivalent to pre-MIS 5 age) as long thought by T.L. Péwé, but rather is much younger; (2) the regionally significant variegated tephra, found in the Fairbanks and Klondike areas and previously thought to be older than MIS 5, has an age of 77,800 ± 4100 yr (late MIS 5).     

末次间冰期以来对宁黄土剖面的热释光测年

利用细颗粒热释光技术对陇西黄土高原会宁黄土剖面末次间冰期以来黄土、古土壤的8个样品进行了年龄测定,并在此基础上分别利用线性内插和多项式回归方法建立了会宁剖面深度-年代时间模式,以2种模式计算的S0/L1、L1/S1、S1/L2界线年龄与SPECMAP深海氧同位素1/2、4/5、5/6阶段的界线年龄可较好对比,这为末次间冰期以来会宁地区古气候演化的深入研究提供了基本时间框架。     

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.     

A review of current research on TL dating of loess

The thick loess deposits of China, Central Europe and North America are particularly suitable for the application of the thermoluminescence (TL) dating method because individual grains are likely to have travelled large distances and thus been well exposed to light before deposition. Wind-blown silt grains collected close to glacial rivers in Alaska have been shown to give a ‘zero age’ of not more than 2 ka, demonstrating the efficiency of the zeroing mechanism.Differences in laboratory procedures can cause differences in the TL ages reported, particularly for loess over 100 ka. TL ages for interstadial soils in Europe are in agreement with the very few radiocarbon dates on reliable material, such as charcoal. On the other hand TL dates from sites in Belgium and north-western Germany indicate that the previously accepted chronology, which was based on two radiocarbon dates on humic-rich sediments, is incorrect.The use of the ‘last interglacial’ palaeosol for assessing the TL dates on loess above and below it is limited by the uncertainty in the timing of termination of soil-forming processes; 107 and 71 ka are the limits suggested by the astronomically-derived time scale. Results on deposits from China, North America, Alaska and Europe are discussed in this context.     

The Last Interglacial palaeosol in the Belgian loess belt: TL age record

In the Belgian loess plateau, the Rocourt soil is a well-known luvisol horizon that is regarded as representing the Last Interglacial. The name of the soil comes from the locality of Rocourt in the east of the country, where it has been observed for the first time. Later, exposures of a similar soil were found in other localities. Most typically, a sequence of three horizons is observed: a red-brown illuvial Bt horizon, overlain by a bleached horizon and a compound dark horizon. In this paper, we present the results of TL age determinations obtained on sediments directly bracketing the soil at the type locality of Rocourt and at the locality of Momalle more to the west, together with some supplementary data for the exposures at Kesselt to check a controversial result that was obtained earlier (J. Quaternary Sci. 13 (5) (1998) 487). The TL analyses involved both the (total bleach) additive dose and regeneration methods.Our TL ages confirm the assumed chronostratigraphic position (oxygen isotope stage 5) of the soil exposed at the type locality. The ages obtained at Momalle and Kesselt indicate that we are dealing with the same soil here but the palaeodose data are less consistent. This is probably due to the fact that the loess has been disturbed by post-depositional processes such as solifluction, surface run-off, cryo- and bioturbation. This seems to be a major problem with the sediments in the eastern part of the Belgian loess belt.     

末次间冰期以来渭南黄土剖面高分辨率古气候时间标尺

利用细颗粒热释光技术对渭南剖面重要地层界线处的 7个样品进行了年龄测定 ,并在此基础上 ,结合已发表数据利用多项式回归方法建立了渭南剖面高分辨率的古气候时间标尺 ,其中S0 /L1- 1,L1- 1/L1- 2 ,L1- 4/L1- 5 ,L1- 5 /S1,S1/L2的界线年龄分别为 1.1,2 .5 ,5 .1,7.6 ,12 .8ka ,除了L1- 4/L1- 5的界线年龄与氧同位素 3阶段的起始年龄差距较大之外 ,它们与SPECMAP深海氧同位素 5以上各阶段的界线年龄可进行较好的对比 ,而L1- 4/L1- 5的界线年龄与北太平洋风尘记录的氧同位素年龄却有很好的一致性 .     

TL dating of loess in China

TL ages of 56 loess samples collected from Xinjiang and the middle reaches of the Yellow River were determined by using fine-grained quartz and man-made light source bleaching techniques.The results indicate that :1.The well-preserved loess sections in Xinjiang began depositing 400000 a ago.The loess/paleosol series may be comparable with that observed in the middle reaches of the Yellow River but the depositing time was probably delayed by 30000-50000a.2.The bottom boundary age of the Malan loess varies from one place to another.The TL dates can be divided into two group:70000-130000 a and 30000-50000 a.The TL data are con-sistent with the appearance of two warmer climate periods since the Pleistocene,indicating obvious regional differences in stratigraphic development of loess,i.e.,paleosol occurred in the warm climate period in the same location,but loess was deposited in other locations.The initial age of loess deposition tends to become older from west to east and from south to north .In contrast ,the cold cli-matic belt showed an opposite trend.The TL ages of loess provide strong evidence for the Quaternary stratigraphy throughout geological times and the shift tendency of climatic belt.3.The depositing rate of the Malan loess along the middle reaches of the Yellow River varies from place to place but the TL age shows a linear relationship with the depositing thickness.The de-positing rate of loess in the north is higher than that in the south,suggesting that loess materials are derived from desert areas of northern China.     

Reconstruction of High Resolution Timescale in Weinan Loess Section of Late Quaternary

TheWeinanloesssectionislocatedatNanjiangVillage(34"21'N,lO9"3l'E),YangguoTown,Weinan,ShaanxiProvince,whichisoneofthecontinuousloesssequencedis-coveredofthelasto.l5MaB.P.,whichhassoforbeenthebestdatedbyboththeAMSl4CandTL(Liuetal.,l994),andisusedasastratigraphicstandard.Basedontheorbitaltuningmethod(Dingetal.,l99l)lapreliminaryhighresolu-tiontimescaleofthissectionhasbeenestab1ished(Liuetal.,l995).Howeverlinrecentyears,increasingeffortshavebeenmadetodocumentsub-orbitalscaleclimaticvariat…     

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.     

AMS Radiocarbon Age of the Upper Mississippi Valley Roxana Silt

Accelerator mass spectrometer radiocarbon ages of the Roxana Silt (loess) along the Upper Mississippi Valley of Wisconsin and Minnesota indicate that loess sedimentation of the Roxana Silt occurred between about 55,000 and 27,000 ¹⁴ C yr B.P. However, due to local environmental controls, the basal age at any given site may range from 55,000 to 35,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P. The radiocarbon ages presented here are in agreement with previous radiocarbon ages for the Roxana Silt in its type area of west-central Illinois, but indicate that long-term sedimentation rates along the bluffline of the Upper Mississippi Valley were very slow (4-8 cm/1000 yr) compared to long-term sedimentation rates along the bluffline of the type area (40-70 cm/1000 yr). Comparison of radiocarbon ages for midcontinent middle Wisconsinan loess deposits indicates that sedimentation along the Mississippi River valley may have preceded loess sedimentation along the Missouri River valley by as much as 20,000 yr or that basal ages for middle Wisconsinan loess along the Missouri Valley are erroneously young. The bracketing ages for the Upper Mississippi Valley Roxana Silt indicate that the Mississippi River valley was receiving outwash sedimentation between 55,000 and 27,000 ¹⁴C yr B.P.     

TL stratigraphy of pre-Weichselian loess from NW Europe using feldspar coarse grains

A new feldspar relative TL dating method is proposed that enables dating of pre-Weichselian loess older than 130 ka, by applying the additive γ dose technique and the Mejdahl's exponential extrapolation to alkali feldspar coarse grains. The method is applied to loess deposits from various reference loessic sections of NW Europe. Our relative TL age estimates are consistent with the information provided by the regional stratigraphy; furthermore, they lead to a clear separation of the pre-Weichselian periods of loess deposition in the time period 130 ka–300 ka.     

Quaternary Volcanic Activities in Shandong Peninsula and Northern Parts of Jiangsu and Anhui Provinces

Quaternary volcanic rocks often coexist with loess,as observed in the same geologic sections in the Shandong Peninsula and northern parts of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.The development age of Shandong loess in close to that in the middle reaches of the Yellow River.Loess strata are of synchronous implication in the loess belt of North China.So the ages of volcanic activities can be es-timated approximately from the stratigraphic relations between loess layers and volcanic rocks.The re-sults of dating of the Quaternary volcanic rocks,baked layers and the TL dates of loess samples sug-gest that the Quaternary volcanic activity can be divided into 4 stages in the region studied,with the ages being 1.15-1.03,0.86-0.72,0.55-0.33 and 0.02 Ma B.P.respectively .The occurrence of tephra in the Shandong loess sections is possible due to multiple episodes of volcanism during the Quaternary time.     

Late Pleistocene Eolian Sediments Related to Pyroclastic Eruptions of Mauna Kea Volcano, Hawaii

Loess and dune sands that mantle volcanic rocks on the northwest flank of Mauna Kea volcano consist predominantly of fine-grained pyroclasts of the alkalic Laupahoehoe Volcanics produced by explosive eruptions. The loess is divided into lower and upper units, separated by a well-developed paleosol, while older and younger dune sands are separated by loess. Four interstratified tephra marker horizons aid in regional stratigraphic correlation. Radiocarbon ages of charcoal fragments within the loess, U-series ages of rhizoliths in the dune sand, and K/Ar ages and relative stratigraphic positions of lava flows provide a stratigraphic and temporal framework. The lower loess overlies lava flows less than 103,000 ± 10,000 K/Ar yr old, and¹⁴C dates from the paleosol developed at its top average ca. 48,000 yr. Loess separating the dune sand units ranges from ca. 38,000 to 25,000¹⁴C yr old; the youngest ages from the upper loess are 17,000–18,000¹⁴C yr B.P. Dips of sand-dune foreset strata, isopachs on the upper loess, and reconstructed isopachs representing cumulative thickness of tephra associated with late-Pleistocene pyroclastic eruptions suggest that vents upslope (upwind) from the sand dunes were the primary source of the eolian sediments. Average paleowind directions during the eruptive interval (ca. 50,000–15,000 yr B.P.), inferred from cinder-cone asymmetry, distribution of tephra units, orientation of dune foreset strata, and the regional pattern of loess isopachs, suggest that Mauna Kea has remained within the trade-wind belt since before the last glaciation.     

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.     

郑州邙山马兰黄土的光释光(OSL)测年初步研究

对郑州市西北邙山黄土塬赵下峪(34°58'N,113°22'E)剖面上部马兰黄土(厚约87m)不同层位的24个样品作了细颗粒(4-11μm)组分红外释光(IRSL)测年,其中8个样品同时进行了细颗粒组分绿光释光(GLSL)测年。样品的IRSL和GLSL信号强度都在Daybreak1100TL/OSL检测系统中测量。该系统的本底计数为70-80光子/秒。被检测的IRSL和GLSL波长分别为340-480nm和340±25nm;激发光束波长分别为880±80nm和514±14nm,功率为18mW和15-16mW。所有样品的等效剂量都用再生释光法测定;环境剂量率是通过测定样品的铀、钍和钾含量,按Aitken(1985)的转换系数确定的,考虑了含水量的影响及宇宙射线的贡献。从这批样品的光释光测年结果可得以下初步认识:
(1)8个样品细颗粒组分的IRSL和GLSL测定的等效剂量和年龄值,除1个样品外,都在1-2σ范围内一致。这可能提供了沉积物光释光测年可靠性的一种自检方法。(2)邙山剖面马兰黄土不同层位段的沉积速率变化十分显著,从0.4m/ka到5.6m/ka,并与剖面上质量磁化率测定值的变化大致相吻合。该剖面马兰黄土至少有4个快速堆积层(沉积速率>3m/ka),其磁化率低而变化小;3个缓慢堆积层(沉积速率<0.5m/ka),其磁化率大或变化显著,它们之间有一系列过渡层。(3)邙山马兰黄土大体可三分即上部(L_1-1)埋深2.7-27.5m,中部(L_1-2)埋深27.5-57.9m)和下部(L_1-3)埋深57.9-87.9m。它们的形成年代分别为10.8-36.2ka B P,36.2-70.3ka B P和70.3-80.2ka B P。较详细的黄土-古土壤序列年代表将在文中讨论      

Luminescence chronology of the Upper Pleistocene loess record at Kurtak in M iddle Siberia

The loess/palaeosol sequence of Kurtak, situated at the western bank of the upper Yenisei in Middle Siberia, represents one of the best developed Middle and Upper Pleistocene sediment records in Yenisei Siberia. More than 40 m thick loess and loess-like sediments intercalated by at least four pedocomplexes are exposed at a steep erosional slope at the bank of the Krasnoyarsk Water Reservoir. Infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) dating techniques have been applied on 38 fine grain samples from the upper 23 m of the profile, representing the penultimate and last interglacial–glacial cycle. The IRSL and TL age estimates are in good agreement with the geological estimates up to the last interglacial soil horizon (oxygen isotope substage (OIS) 5e). The luminescence ages show that the lowermost truncated palaeosol of kastanosjem-type is likely to have formed during the penultimate interglacial upon subaerial deposits. Three weak reddish brown palaeosols intercalated by reworked loess-like sediments correlate with early Upper Pleistocene interstadials (OIS5dion of -a), and a succession of humic horizons alternated by cryoturbation processes (Kurtak pedocomplex) is linked with OIS 3. Thick loess deposits between the pedocomplexes show now significant age increase with depth, indicating high accumulation rates at around 23 ka (OIS 2) and 60 ka (OIS 4).     

Luminescence dating of loessic sediments from the Loess plateau, China

Loess/palaeosol sequences from the Loess plateau in China were investigated by combined infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) dating techniques in order to study the luminescence properties of the loessic sediments and to provide a direct chronological link for correlation and position of the last interglacial soil in Central Asia and the Loess plateau in China. Sensitivity changes were found for all samples through artificial bleaching of the samples. The greatest sensitivity changes, of up to 50%, were found for very old loess samples designated to be older than the Matu-yama/Brunhes magnetic boundary and hence older than 788,000±1,800 years. The upper dating limit, as investigated by the very old loess samples, ranges from 250,000 to 300,000 years, if the TL additive dose method is applied. The chronological position of the last interglacial soil S1 at the section near Lanzhou indicates luminescence age estimates ranging from 82,000 to 75,000 years for the marine-isotope stage 5 to 4 transition. However, the loess from below S1 yielded luminescence age estimates between 153,200±14,200 and 110,100±20,100 years for TL and IRSL additive dose methods, respectively. Thus, a direct correlation between the S1 and the first intercalated pedocomplex PC1 in Central Asia is most likely. Received: 31 March 1998 / Accepted: 25 October 1998     

甘孜黄土细颗粒石英热转移光释光(TT-OSL)法测年可行性初探

使用一种新的光释光测年法——热转移光释光（TT-OSL）法对甘孜县城附近的甘孜-A剖面上的黄土细颗粒石英进行实验测试,以探讨该方法用于其测年的可行性.实验测试结果表明,样品的天然回授OSL （ReOSL）信号强度随地层深度增加而增大,表现出明显的积累.利用“替换点”分析方式对TT-OSL法的检验表明该方法能够用于甘孜黄土的测年.采用简单多片法（SMAR）和TT-OSL法分别对3个样品进行等效剂量（De）测试及年龄计算,结果显示TT-OSL法得到的De值及年龄明显大于简单多片法,但TT-OSL法年龄与前人磁性地层研究中的期望年龄相差比较大.研究初步认为,TT-OSL法可以对甘孜黄土进行测年,但是结果的可靠性还需要有更多的可信独立年龄验证.     

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.