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.     

甘肃玉门地区第四纪晚期构造阶地的红外释光测年

光释光（ＯＳＬ）测年是近几年从热释光（ＴＬ）测年基础工起来的测定第四纪沉积物年龄的一种新技术，其原理与ＴＬ测年类似。不同的是：ＯＳＬ是单色光束激发品体中储存的电离辐射能使其以光的形式释放出来。当用近红外线束作为激光光源时称之为红外释光测年。与ＴＬ测年相比，ＩＳＬ测年可以不考虑残留的ＯＳＬ信号，而且测量具有简便，迅速且准确等优点。本文用细颗粒红外释放技术对玉门地区的构造阶地进行了年龄测定，初步结果表     

Optical dating of young coastal dunes on a decadal time scale

We explore the use of quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating for reconstructing coastal evolution on a time scale of decades to a few hundred years. Samples are taken from the accretionary south-west coast of Texel, a barrier island just offshore of the northern Netherlands. The ages of dune ridges are known from historical sources; an excellent chronology with a decadal accuracy exists for the past 260 years. OSL ages of less than 10 years on the youngest samples indicate that the OSL signal of the quartz grains is very well zeroed prior to deposition and burial. OSL ages of five samples from a 250-year-old dune ridge are indistinguishable, and the OSL ages on 17 out of 20 samples are in excellent agreement with the well-known independent age controls. Our results highlight the potential of OSL dating for high-resolution reconstruction of coastal evolution over the past few centuries.     

Luminescence dating of Late Quaternary sediments from East Greenland

Luminescence dating based on K-feldspars and using both TL and OSL methods have been performed on 94 sediment samples from East Greenland. The ages go back more than 380 ka, but are mainly from the last interglaciation and the subsequent period and include both shallow-marine/coastal-fluvial and ice proximal meltwater sediments. Independent age control indicates that the dates in the first group generally fall within ± 15% of the expected age, although a few samples show larger deviations. The ice proximal sediments, on the other hand, show a much larger spread and exaggerated ages, probably owing to incomplete bleaching. OSL may give better results than TL in these sediments.     

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.     

单颗粒释光测年技术及其在地质考古中的应用研究进展

近年来光释光测年在单颗粒技术上的研究取得了一系列重要进展,极大地提高了测年精度,为地质考古测年提供了更大的空间,研究者们对全球重要考古遗址点进行了详细的单颗粒测年,取得诸多考古新发现。单颗粒释光技术是在光释光单片技术上发展而来,对样品的单个石英或长石颗粒进行独立测试,基于单个颗粒测量结果,结合误差理论、统计学分析和样品地质沉积特征分析获得样品的准确年龄。本文结合大量地质考古样品的单颗粒测年数据,重点阐述了单颗粒释光测年技术的原理、发展历程、实验流程、筛选条件和年龄模型。单颗粒释光技术为地质考古的精确定年提供了可能性,尤其是对由于晒退不充分等原因导致的等效剂量分散的样品,如过度分散值(OD)高达20%甚至超过50%的地质考古样品,提供了新的方法和及时支持。通过开展释光测年信号分析,选择不同的单颗粒样品年龄模型分析,可以得到较为可靠的年龄,为诸多地质考古遗迹建立年代学框架。     

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.     

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.     

早期智人古老型——智人大荔亚种的年代

文中综合研究了有关大荔人头骨化石的产出地层、伴随出现的古生物化石、古气候演变的条件等 ,结合用热释光技术测定地层年代这一基本思路 ,将大荔人的生存年代确定为不老于 30万年。     

静态测量方式的单颗粒锆石蒸发铅同位素定年方法

报道的单颗粒锆石蒸发定年方法是利用新型固体质谱计的多离子接收器配置实现的。改进的锆石蒸发^207Pb／^206Pb定年流程通过静态测量方式，在锆石蒸发过程中直接测定铅同位素比值，获得^207Pb／^206Pb年龄。应用该方法测定了元古代永宁组沉积岩的碎屑锆石，获得6颗锆石的^207Pb／^206Pb年龄值为1965—2590Ma。与传统的蒸发法流程相比，静态测量方法省时简捷，同时可以直观地观测到锆石内部的铅同位素组成变化。这些变化反映锆石结晶历史、后期事件叠加以及锆石成因等地质信息。     

U‐Pb Detrital Zircon Analysis – Results of an Inter‐laboratory Comparison

Inter‐laboratory comparison of laser ablation ICP‐MS and SIMS U‐Pb dating of synthetic detrital zircon samples provides an insight into the state‐of‐the art of sedimentary provenance studies. Here, we report results obtained from ten laboratories that routinely perform this type of work. The achieved level of bias was mostly within ± 2% relative to the ID‐TIMS U‐Pb ages of zircons in the detrital sample, and the variation is likely to be attributed to variable Pb/U elemental fractionation due to zircon matrix differences between the samples and the reference materials used for standardisation. It has been determined that ~ 5% age difference between adjacent age peaks is currently at the limit of what can be routinely resolved by the in situ dating of detrital zircon samples. Precision of individual zircon age determination mostly reflects the data reduction and procedures of measurement uncertainty propagation, and it is largely independent of the instrumentation, analytical technique and reference samples used for standardisation. All laboratories showed a bias towards selection of larger zircon grains for analysis. The experiment confirms the previously published estimates of the minimum number of grains that have to be analysed in order to detect minor zircon age populations in detrital samples.     

南京市区埋藏古河道沉积物的年代

埋藏古河道沉积物年代学框架的建立对于探讨当地水系演变过程、重建气候演化历史具有重要意义。本文用光释光(OSL)测年中的简单多片再生法(SMAR)和单片再生法(SAR)对南京市区汉府街埋藏古河道堆积物钻孔样品进行了光释光测年,对岩芯中含有的植物碎片进行了AMS 14C测年。光释光等效剂量(De)的预热坪实验表明,在 200～260℃的预热温度范围内均能获得基本一致的De值,并得到了剂量恢复实验支持。样品的光释光年龄和树轮校正的AMS 14C年龄吻合,结果显示N06S6孔秦淮河古河道沉积是不连续的,主要堆积于6.6ka至7.9ka期间和14ka至15ka期间。末次冰盛期期间,秦淮河下切形成深达至少42m的古河谷。     

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.     

应用石英释光灵敏度溯源的研究现状和展望

应用石英释光灵敏度进行物源研究是释光技术发展的新方向。回顾了石英释光灵敏度在测年研究中的发展现状,对其产生的机制、实验中的影响因素及其在测年中对灵敏度的监测、矫正等进行了介绍,详细介绍了空间尺度上不同沉积物(冰碛物、风成沉积物、水成沉积物)石英释光灵敏度的差异和时间序列上风成沉积物释光灵敏度的变化特征。据现有的研究成果分析,沉积历史和母岩来源对沉积物中石英的释光灵敏度的高低有重要的影响,因此可用它来追溯石英的物源。探讨该技术在物源研究领域存在的问题,对其发展前景进行了展望。     

Non‐Destructive or Noninvasive? The Potential Effect of X‐Ray Fluorescence Spectrometers on Luminescence Age Estimates of Archaeological Samples

The non‐destructive nature of X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers is a principal reason for an increase in their use in archaeological science over the last 15 years, especially for analyzing museum‐curated artifacts and in situ site fabrics. Here, we show that low‐power XRF spectrometry can be detrimental for luminescence dating (surface applications such as mud‐wasp nest dating in particular). We investigated the effects of irradiation by X‐rays emitted from handheld and benchtop spectrometers on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals. Measurements were taken using a portable OSL (pOSL) unit on the following unprepared archaeological materials: sedimentary quartz grains, pottery, a mud‐wasp nest, stone tools, and a rock flake with anthropogenically applied pigment and natural pigmentation (iron oxides). We observed an increase in luminescence compared to initial background counts for all materials tested, which could lead to overestimation of age determinations in some situations. Our experiment provides a reminder of the potential effects of X‐ray radiation, and the need for thorough documentation of all recording and analytical techniques applied to archaeological materials.     

天山乌鲁木齐河源末次冰期冰川沉积光释光测年

乌鲁木齐河源地区是中国冰川遗迹保存最丰富、地貌最典型的区域之一,是根据冰川遗迹重建第四纪冰川历史的理想地区。大量的研究工作以及技术测年结果也使其成为试验冰川沉积光释光（optically stimulated luminescence,OSL）测年可行性的理想地点。共采集了6个冰碛及上覆黄土样品用于光释光测年。提取38~63 μm的石英颗粒,运用SAR-SGC法测试等效剂量。各种检验表明测试程序是适用的。通过地貌地层关系、重复样品、已有年代的对比等方法,检验该地冰川沉积OSL测年的可行性。结果表明,OSL年代结果与地貌地层新老关系非常吻合,与已有的其他测年技术的年代结果也具可比性,表明这些样品的OSL信号在沉积之前晒退较好,OSL年代是可信的。冰川观测站侧碛垄的OSL年代为14.8±1.2 ka;9号冰川支谷口附近冰碛的OSL年代为13.5±1.1 ka和17.2±1.3 ka;上望峰冰碛的OSL年代为20.1±1.6 ka。综合OSL年代结果与此前其他测年结果,这几套冰碛垄形成于深海氧同位素MIS 2阶段应该是比较统一的认识。上望峰冰碛上覆黄土的OSL年代（10.5±0.8 ka）也印证了该结论。OSL年代指示上望峰冰碛对应于末次冰期最盛期,冰川观测站和9号冰川支谷谷口冰碛对应于晚冰期。下望峰冰碛的OSL年代为36.3±2.8 ka,对应于MIS 3阶段。下望峰冰碛的形成时代,仍有待更多沉积学以及测年工作进一步确定。     

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 sensitivity changes of mineral grains after optical bleaching

The paper presents some preliminary results of studies carried out in the Gliwice TL Lab. A set of 10 samples of mineral grains separated from natural sediments of different age and origin was investigated in order to find whether the optical bleaching used for reducing NTL causes the change of thermoluminescence sensitivity. The laboratory bleaching was performed using natural sunlight and artifical light from the mercury lamp. Additional results completed during the TL dating by the regeneration method are also included. In most cases the changes in sensitivity are not significant.     

蚌埠隆起区煌斑岩锆石U-Pb测年及其地质意义

蚌埠地区中生代岩浆作用十分发育, 以酸性岩浆活动为主, 部分地区伴随基性岩脉侵入。本文利用LA-ICP-MS技术, 对蚌埠五河地区煌斑岩中的锆石进行U-Pb同位素定年。研究表明, 该煌斑岩中锆石多成半自形到浑圆状, 多为捕获锆石。锆石U-Pb年龄多集中在3 100 Ma、2 500 Ma和2 000 Ma附近, 少量新生锆石年龄约为156 Ma, 捕获锆石年龄与华北基底的五河杂岩相当吻合, 可能不具有扬子板块俯冲陆壳年代学信息。本次测得煌斑岩的形成年龄为156.1±8.2 Ma, 为晚侏罗世。蚌埠地区普遍存在一期构造变形事件, 表现为由南向北的逆冲推覆。由于煌斑岩脉遭受到逆冲推覆构造的改造, 因此煌斑岩的形成年龄也限定了蚌埠地区推覆构造变形事件的下限。     

北美五大湖区晚更新世劳伦泰德冰盖演化年代学综述及石英光释光测年的初步尝试

北美五大湖区的安大略湖北岸Don Valley Brickyard、Scarborough Bluffs、Bowmanville Bluffs剖面共同构成了北美东北部最长也是最厚的陆地第四纪沉积记录, 较完整地记录了晚更新世劳伦泰德冰盖(the Laurentide Ice Sheet)的演化. 晚更新世劳伦泰德冰盖演化的重建有赖于这些经典剖面中重要沉积地层单元的准确年代学控制. 传统的地层年代学主要是依靠少量¹⁴C年代, 将主要的混杂堆积单元(diamicton)解释为气候变冷环境下的冰川扩张, 并与指示全球冰量变化的深海氧同位素曲线一一比对建立起来的. 这样建立起来的年代学存在很大的不确定性. 20世纪80-90年代的少量热释光年代也不相吻合, 最近的13个长石红外释光定年则只集中于Bowmanville Bluffs的一个分层, 并未建立整个剖面的地层年代学, 使这些经典沉积剖面的年代学一直没有得到系统的建立. 应用石英光释光SAR-SGC法测试了Bowmanville Bluffs剖面Glaciofluvial Sand单元的2个冰水沉积样品, 年代结果分别为(41.6±3.8) ka、(48.1±4.4) ka, 分析表明这一年代结果偏老, 石英颗粒可能晒褪不完全. 由于大测片无法识别晒褪不完全的颗粒, 因此, 测试更多的剖面序列的光释光年代并尝试采用粗颗粒小测片或单颗粒技术解决样品颗粒晒褪不完全的问题将是必要的.