水成沉积物回授光释光测年可行性初探

通过对滹沱河冲洪积物、阳原盆地湖相地层细颗粒石英天然热转移光释光(TT-OSL)信号测量、回授剂量恢复测试以及简单多片光释光(OSL)与回授光释光(Re-OSL)测量结果对比等,探讨了细颗粒石英回授光释光在水成沉积物测年中应用的可能性。结果表明,冲积样品回授光释光信号没有随深度逐步增加的规律,而湖相样品热转移光释光信号随深度逐渐增大;冲洪积物细颗粒石英样品回授光释光不能得出剂量值,剂量不能恢复;而湖相样品回授实验室附加剂量与测得的剂量在2%的误差范围内一致,说明回授光释光测年在一定时间范围内对于湖相样品测年是可行的;细颗粒石英回授释光在测量>10万a的湖相样品年龄方面具有很大的潜力     

北京延庆断层崩积物记录的古地震事件释光测年研究

对北京延庆西羊房古地震探槽西壁采集的10个崩积物和坡面沉积物样品进行了细颗粒（4－11μm）多测片的红外释光（IRSL）和绿光释光（GLSL）测年。其中4个样品既在中国地震局地质研究所用Daybreak仪器作了测量，也在澳大利亚Adelaide大学物理系用Risφ仪器作测量，其结构基本一致。该探槽剖面见4个断层崩积楔，可视为4次古地震事件的记录。释光测年表明，最新一个崩积楔有可能是公元294年延庆东居庸村6级地震的质记录，大约在1．7－20kaBP或1．724kaBP期间至不有两次强烈地震事件。本文还对比了细颗粒GLSL与IRSL的测年结果。     

古湖岸堤沉积物石英光释光测年研究:以中国东北兴凯湖为例

古湖岸堤是湖面波动的地貌证据,可以用来重建古湖泊演化.古湖岸堤沉积物的准确测年是应用此地貌学证据重建湖泊演化的关键.以我国兴凯湖最低一级湖岸堤——大湖岗为研究对象,采用石英小片技术,应用单片再生剂量法(SAR)对大湖岗2个不同位置的剖面风成砂质沉积物(共13个样品)进行了光释光(OSL)测年.样品石英组分的光释光衰减曲线特征表明,样品的释光信号以快组分为主,预热坪和实验室剂量恢复实验结果表明,SAR法可以用来测量兴凯湖古湖岸堤样品的等效剂量.通过分析样品等效剂量分布情况和比较3种年龄模型(平均值模型、中值模型和最小值模型),认为大湖岗湖滨砂质沉积物在沉积埋藏前石英光释光信号晒退完全,获得的OSL年龄是可信的.年代结果表明,大湖岗采自不同位置的2个剖面的年代范围一致,且各个剖面中所有年代均随地层顺序变化;另外,2个样品的OSL年龄与同层位的炭屑样品的14C年代结果在误差范围内一致,进一步表明OSL测年技术可以获得可靠的兴凯湖岸堤沉积物的年龄.尽管与前人使用热释光(TL)测年方法研究大湖岗形成年代有较大差别,本文认为兴凯湖最低一级古湖岸堤——大湖岗形成于距今约1.24-0.50 ka.     

西南天山明尧勒背斜河流阶地沉积物的光释光测年

晚第四纪细颗粒河流阶地沉积物的准确定年是当前光释光测年研究中的一个难点。利用简单多片再生法(SMAR)、单片再生法(SAR)等对新疆西南天山喀什前陆盆地明尧勒背斜喀浪勾律克河阶地沉积物样品的细颗粒石英光释光(BLSL)信号、混合矿物红外释光信号(IRSL)和红外后蓝光释光信号([Post-IR]OSL)进行测量。通过对比同一样品的细颗粒石英BLSL、混合矿物IRSL和[Post-IR]OSL的等效剂量值,认为细颗粒石英简单多片再生法是河流阶地沉积物释光测年最为适用的方法之一。对于细颗粒混合矿物而言,由于长石矿物的异常衰退,对于等效剂量De>70Gy的样品,其IRSL等效剂量值均偏小;其[Post-IR]OSL等效剂量值仍需慎重使用。通过对同一样品细颗粒石英多个测片的单片再生法等效剂量值分布以及简单多片再生法多个测片校正后天然释光信号强度的一致性判断,认为样品LEDL03-87q,LEDL03-86q和LEDL04-54q在沉积时的光晒退是不均匀的,采用最小等效剂量组分来计算沉积年龄     

龙门山映秀-北川断裂带擂鼓探槽剖面古地震事件测年

2008年5月12日四川汶川发生MS8.0大地震,形成了200多km长的地震地表破裂带。破裂带的古地震研究对于认识龙门山断裂带的活动习性和大地震的发生规律具有重要的理论和现实意义。文中用光释光(OSL)测年中的校正感量简单多片再生法(SMAR),对映秀-北川地震地表破裂带擂鼓探槽样品进行了光释光测年,并对探槽中含有的炭屑进行了AMS14C测年。样品的光释光年龄和校正的AMS14C年龄吻合,该地区与汶川地震类似规模的上一次古地震事件发生在距今约(2.1±0.2)ka至(1.1±0.2)ka间     

毛乌素沙地东南缘全新世湖相地层石英和钾长石释光测年对比

采集来自毛乌素沙地东南缘巴图湾、大沟湾和三岔河等3处典型湖相地层出露点的3个样品,分别提取石英和钾长石矿物组分,采用小片技术(样品直径2 mm)进行释光年代测试,并将两种矿物年代结果进行对比研究.应用单片再生剂量(SAR)流程测试了石英样品的等效剂量(预热温度选为260℃).剂量恢复实验和光释光特性显示,SAR流程测试条件选择合适,样品沉积前光释光信号晒退完全,说明石英年代结果可靠.另外,应用两步红外激发(激发温度分别为50℃和150℃)的单片再生剂量流程(post-infrared infrared-stimulated luminescence,简写为p IRIR流程)测试钾长石样品的等效剂量,剂量恢复实验和释光特性等各项检验均符合要求,剩余剂量在-0.2~0.026 Gy之间,可忽略不计.钾长石的p IRIR150信号异常衰减速率为0.55~1.71(%/decade),因造成的误差较小,故无需对年代结果进行校正.3处湖相地层的石英年代分别为11.3±0.9、6.5±0.6、2.7±0.2 ka BP,钾长石p IRIR150年代分别为10.0±0.7、6.9±0.5、2.4±0.2 ka BP,两者在误差范围内一致,说明毛乌素沙地东南缘的全新世湖相沉积物适合用钾长石p IRIR150流程进行释光测年.本研究为毛乌素沙地部分样品因石英信号较弱而无法测年问题提供了解决办法,也为该区域全新世,尤其是历史时期(近2000年)以来的环境变化研究提供了年代学支撑.     

汶川8.0级地震小鱼洞地表破裂带古地震事件的光释光测年

小鱼洞地震地表破裂带罗元村探槽剖面揭示了汶川8.0级大地震之前的1次同等规模的古地震事件.文中对采自小鱼洞破裂带罗元村古地震探槽的7个冲洪积物样品进行了细颗粒石英简单多片再生法和单测片再生法光释光测年研究.LED08-212样品SAR法预热坪实验表明预热温度坪区间为180～240℃,在此温度下热转移量小于等效剂量的1%...     

河北省阳原六棱山北麓断裂古地震年代学的初步研究

六棱山北麓断裂位于阳原盆地南缘，是一条总体走向北东东，倾向北北西的倾滑正断裂。它的断错地貌在河北阳原独山堡发育最好且保存完整在，在狡山堡六棱山北麓断层陡坎前缘开挖了２个探槽，共揭示了２次古地震事件；采集了多个测年样品，经红外释光（ＩＲＳＬ）测年技术测定，初步获得了２次古地震事件发生的可能时代。     

城市活断层探测中钻孔岩心光释光样品的采集

钻孔岩心测年样品具有较一般地质样品更为复杂的影响因素,样品特征对年龄可靠性有非常重要的影响,且主要受钻进方法和采样过程的制约。采用回转钻进取全心的方法,对光释光测年带来的不确定性影响因素主要有扰动导致软弱土层、砂层的混染;泥浆渗入对样品的污染;挤压和摩擦生热对释光信号的可能影响等。除样品特征外,含水量的变化及放射性平衡状况等对钻孔岩心样品的年龄可能存在影响。释光测年样品的基本要求、测试技术和方法是野外正确采样的依据,针对城市活断层探测工作中钻探任务的一般要求,文中提出了岩心光释光样品采集的建议,并对年代测试时需要考虑的不确定性因素进行了讨论     

新疆阜康断裂带中段大黄山探槽晚第四纪沉积物的光释光测年

对新疆阜康断裂带中段大黄山探槽的23个样品进行了细颗粒石英光释光简单多片再生法测年。样品LED12-297等效剂量的预热坪实验结果表明,在220~260℃的预热温度范围内均能获得基本一致的等效剂量值。测年结果显示,样品年龄与地层的时序性一致,表明阜康断裂带为全新世活动断层。根据探槽剖面错断的最新地层及其上覆地层的光释光年龄判断,断层的最新1次古地震事件发生在距今(1.90±0.14)ka~(3.47±0.17)ka。根据地层的垂直位移量与测年结果得到,阜康断层大黄山段的垂直滑动速率为0.17mm/a。     

Dating deep? Luminescence studies of fault gouge from the San Andreas Fault zone 2.6 km beneath Earth's surface

This study aims to assess whether luminescence emission from fault gouge samples from the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth (SAFOD) can be used to determine the age distribution of distinct deformation microstructures. Such age determination could help constrain some of the proposed micromechanical models for shear localization in fault gouge, in addition to providing more accurate time constraint on the seismic cycle itself. The mechanism by which previously trapped charge is reset in minerals in fault gouge is thought to be a combination of frictional heating and mechanical deformation, and these processes may be localized to grain surfaces. An added dating complexity specific to deep samples is the high ambient temperature conditions, which act as a barrier to charge storage in lower energy trapping sites. In this work luminescence experiments are being conducted on minerals from whole-rock samples of intact fault gouge from the SAFOD Phase III core. Initial studies indicate (i) the thermal and radiation history of the mineral lattice can be assessed with TL, (ii) trap resetting is evident in both TL and IRSL data, (iii) a small charge-trapping window between drill hole ambient temperature of ∼112 °C and higher energy lattice excitation via rupture events is evident in TL data from ∼300 to 400 °C, and we tentatively link the source of IRSL to TL within this 300–400 °C region, (iv) IRSL data have low natural intensity but good luminescence characteristics, and (v) SAR IRSL D_e data have high over-dispersion but demonstrate ages ranging from decades to centuries may be measured.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of heavy liquid density separation in isolating K-feldspar grains using alluvial sediments from the Hajar Mountains,Oman

Heavy liquid density separation is commonly utilised in isolating specific minerals from bulk sediment for luminescence dating. K-feldspars are commonly separated from other minerals by isolating the <2.58 g cm⁻³ fraction which yields infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals conducive to dating. However, initial measurements of the IRSL and thermoluminescence (TL) signals from the <2.58 g cm⁻³ fraction of alluvial fan sediments from the Hajar Mountains, northern Oman, were atypical of K-feldspar luminescence signals reported in the literature. In this study, three different density separates (<2.58 g cm⁻³, 2.58–2.54 g cm⁻³ and <2.565 g cm⁻³) were trialled to attempt to isolate pure K-feldspar samples for dating, to measure K-feldspar IRSL signals which are not contaminated with inputs from other feldspar, quartz and/or heavy mineral signals. The mineralogy of these separates was explored using microscopy, X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry. We found that despite more refined heavy liquid density separation, the proportions of K-feldspar in these separates had a maximum of 40% by weight, remaining significantly contaminated by other minerals. IRSL and TL signals were atypical of K-feldspar for all density separates and it is likely that there is a contribution of signal from IR-sensitive contaminants, such as muscovite. This highlights the importance of investigating the mineralogy of samples for luminescence dating, especially in regions where little prior work has been undertaken.     

Comparison of paired quartz OSL and feldspar post-IR IRSL dose distributions in poorly bleached fluvial sediments from South Africa

A comparative study using quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and feldspar post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence (post-IR IRSL) was undertaken on Quaternary fluvial sediments from an unnamed tributary of the Moopetsi River in South Africa. The aim is to assess whether the post-IR IRSL signal can be used to date incompletely bleached sediments. Several post-IR IRSL signals using varying stimulation and preheat temperatures were investigated; of these the post-IR IRSL₂₂₅ signal was deemed most appropriate for dating because it bleached most rapidly. The feldspar post-IR IRSL₂₂₅ equivalent dose (D_e) values from this site are consistently larger than those from quartz OSL, probably due to differences in the bleaching characteristics of the two signals. Additionally, the post-IR IRSL₂₂₅ D_e values within a sample showed less variation in precision than the quartz D_e data, possibly due to greater averaging between grains in the feldspar small aliquots. The agreement between ages based on the OSL and post-IR IRSL₂₂₅ signals was better for younger samples (<20 ka) than for older ones (>50 ka); the cause of this variation is unclear.     

On the dose dependency of the bleachable and non-bleachable components of IRSL from K-feldspar: Improved procedures for luminescence dating of Quaternary sediments

The infrared (IR) stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and post-IR IRSL (pIRIR) signals from K-feldspar can, for convenience, be divided into two components, bleachable and ‘non-bleachable’, where the latter corresponds to the ‘residual’ signal observed in sunlight-bleached samples. In this paper, we examine the non-bleachable component of IRSL of K-feldspar for several sedimentary samples from across Eurasia. We observed a large variability in the residual doses among these samples after prolonged exposure to sunlight. By employing multiple elevated temperature (MET) IR stimulations at 50–300 °C, we show that the residual dose increases systematically with stimulation temperature, attaining values as high as ∼50 Gy at 300 °C, even after several hours to tens of hours of exposure to unfiltered sunlight. We examined two samples in detail and found that the bleachable and non-bleachable components produced different dose response curves. Pulse annealing studies showed that the non-bleachable component is more stable than the bleachable component, suggesting that a preheat procedure cannot eliminate the non-bleachable component. Additional experiments revealed that the non-bleachable component is dose dependent. Owing to this dose dependency, we demonstrate mathematically and empirically that the simple subtraction of a residual dose from the measured equivalent dose (D_e) – which is the most common approach employed (if any residual dose is subtracted at all) – will result in underestimation of the actual D_e. We present a method to correct for the dose dependency of the residual dose, which can improve the accuracy of either MET-pIRIR or pIRIR age estimates for samples in which the non-bleachable component represents a significant fraction of the measured signals.     

Luminescence dating of fluvial deposits in Vojvodina,N Serbia: First results

This paper reports on the first investigations into the potential of luminescence dating to establish a chronological framework for fluvial processes in the Tisa River Valley in Vojvodina, N Serbia. A total of 18 samples were collected from a terrace exposure near Mužlja, which comprised non-fluvial deposits at the top and fluvial deposits at the base. The luminescence characteristics of sand-sized quartz and potassium feldspar grains were investigated using a single-aliquot regenerative dose (SAR) protocol. The quartz separates exhibit a complex behaviour, making this dosimeter less suited for optical dating. Investigations into the behaviour of infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) measured at 50 °C (IR₅₀) from K-rich feldspar extracts showed that preheating in excess of 60 s at 225 °C leads to significant sensitivity changes. The effect of IR stimulation on the thermoluminescence (TL) signal and that of preheating on IRSL intensity were examined; the results are inconclusive with respect to thermal stability, but are not inconsistent with the idea that the data do not reflect depletion of an electron trap. The IR₅₀-signal measured after a preheat of 60 s at 115 °C behaves well in the SAR protocol, although it suffers from anomalous fading. Assuming that the signal is thermally stable, the fading-corrected ages suggest that deposition occurred during the end of the Late Pleniglacial and the early Late Glacial, which is consistent with geological expectations. Our observations demonstrate that IRSL dating of feldspar holds potential for establishing a chronology of fluvial dynamics of the Tisa River in N Serbia. Further methodological investigations are desirable; however, as issues relating to the stability and resetting of the IRSL signal remain to be resolved.     

Small aliquot and single grain IRSL and post-IR IRSL dating of fluvial and alluvial sediments from the Pativilca valley,Peru

Infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and post-IR IRSL are applied to small aliquots and single grains to determine the equivalent dose (D_e) of eleven alluvial and fluvial sediment samples collected in the Pativilca valley, Central Peru at ca. 10°S latitude. Small aliquot D_e distributions are rather symmetric and display over-dispersion values between 15 and 46%. Small aliquot g-values range between 4 and 8% per decade for the IRSL and 1 and 2% per decade for the post-IR IRSL signal. The single grain D_e distributions are highly over-dispersed with some of them skewed to higher doses, implying partial bleaching; this is especially true for the post-IR IRSL. Measurements of a modern analog reveal that residuals due to partial bleaching are present in both the IRSL as well as the post-IR IRSL signal. The g-values of individual grains exhibit a wide range with high individual uncertainties and might contribute significantly to the spread of the single grain D_e values, at least for the IRSL data. Electron Microprobe Analysis performed on single grains reveal that a varying K-content can be excluded as the origin of over-dispersion. Final ages for the different approaches are calculated using the Central Age Model and the Minimum Age Model (MAM). The samples are grouped into well-beached, potentially well-bleached and partially bleached according to the evaluation of the single grain distributions and the agreement of age estimates between methods. The application of the MAM to the single grain data resulted in consistent age estimates for both the fading corrected IRSL and the post-IR IRSL ages, and suggests that both approaches are suitable for dating these samples.     

Luminescence chronology of fluvial and aeolian deposits in the Russian Altai (Southern Siberia)

Geomorphological investigations in the Russian Altai Mountains provide evidence for the extent and timing of Late Quaternary glaciations and aeolian sediments. Infrared optically stimulated luminescence (IR-OSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) dating of aeolian sediments from the central part of the Russian Altai were carried out on silty and sandy sediments that cover fluvial and glacio-fluvial terraces. Most samples from loess, loess-like sediments and sandy loess taken from different terrace sequences within the Altai Mountains provide IRSL ages suggesting a main aeolian deposition period between 25 and 15 ka. These data are consistent with those from the adjacent Mongolian Altai. Sand and silt layers within moraines yielded IRSL age estimates between 22 and 19 ka and correlate to the ice margins of the Last Glacial Maximum. Aeolian dune sands overlying or neighbouring the loess-like sediments and the fluvial terraces at some places provide evidence for Late Glacial (around 15 ka) and Early Holocene (around 9 ka) aeolian activity. The youngest sand sheets gave deposition ages of about 1.5 ka. These sediments covered graves and are related to overgrazing. They provide evidence for the significant human impact on the environment. Fluvial sediments, including silt and sandy gravel intermingled with charcoal, yielded contradicting radiocarbon and luminescence ages. IRSL age estimates obtained for the silty layers range from 19 to 18 ka and are significantly older than the radiocarbon ages, which gave sub-recent ages between 1170 and 910 BP. These data indicate fluvial sedimentation of debris and mudflows in a period of deforestation and strong soil erosion related to mining activities during the 9th and 10th century.     

Luminescence dating reveals a rapid response to climate change of fluvial terrace formation along the Ani River,northeastern Japan,during the last glacial period

Fluvial terraces along the middle reaches of many Japanese rivers were formed during the last glacial period as a result of changes in sediment discharge related to cooler temperatures and/or reduced water discharge because of lower precipitation. The influence of climate change on these fluvial terraces is not yet fully understood because most previous studies lacked detailed reconstructions of the chronology of terrace development. This study provides a detailed luminescence chronology of fluvial terrace deposits along the Ani River, northeastern Honshu, Japan, and compares that chronology to paleoclimatic records. Eight samples for luminescence dating were obtained from an outcrop of terrace deposits (∼10 m thick) in the Ani River valley. The fading-corrected infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) ages are consistent with the fading-corrected post-IR IRSL ages for some samples, which suggests that fading corrections were effective despite the higher fading rates of the IRSL signal. However, for the other samples, the post-IR IRSL ages are significantly older than the fading-corrected IRSL ages due to incomplete bleaching. The pulsed IRSL signals are close to field saturation for older samples, which might have resulted in a greater variation of the ages. Fading-corrected IRSL ages demonstrate periods of rapid aggradation during 105–90 ka and 75–60 ka. Comparison of terrace development with paleoclimatic records indicates that the two periods of fluvial deposition correspond to decreases in precipitation caused by weakened East Asian summer monsoon precipitation and possibly decreases in temperature. The results of this study show that the Ani River responded rapidly to climate change on a time scale of a few tens of thousands of years during the last glacial period.     

Evaluating a SAR TT-OSL protocol for dating fine-grained quartz within Late Pleistocene loess deposits in the Missouri and Mississippi river valleys,United States

The Mississippi and Missouri river valleys in the midcontinental United States contain extensive loess-paleosol sequences that are used to constrain the timing of expansion and retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Previous studies have been unsuccessful in producing finite ages for sediments older than ∼150 ka due to saturation of luminescence emissions. The thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL) dating technique is tested on the fine-grained (4–11 μm) quartz fraction of these loess deposits because the TT-OSL signal has been shown to grow with high (kGy) radiation doses. The TT-OSL signal continued to increase with radiation dose above 900 Gy. The optical and thermal stabilities of this TT-OSL signal are evaluated. Equivalent dose values are highly sensitive to preheat temperatures. Recycling ratios, zero-dose response values, and dose recovery tests all yield acceptable values for samples with burial doses >∼200 Gy. The apparent TT-OSL ages for the Roxana Silt (∼52–63 ka), Teneriffe Silt (∼66 ka), and Loveland Silt (∼133–192 ka) agree at 1σ level with previously published TL and IRSL ages derived from the same samples. For the oldest unit, the Crowley's Ridge Silt, TT-OSL ages (∼167–200 ka) are younger than IRSL or TL ages by ∼20%. This is interpreted as underestimation related to TT-OSL signal contamination, which can be avoided by isolating the fast component of the TT-OSL. Preliminary fast component TT-OSL ages for the Crowley's Ridge Silt (∼197–241 ka) favor deposition during marine oxygen-isotope stage (MIS) 7 or 8, contrary to a previous inference of a MIS 12 deposition.     

RESIDUAL POST-IR IRSL SIGNALS OF POTASSIUM FELDSPAR FROM MODERN SAG POND DEPOSITS OF CENTRAL ALTYN TAGH FAULT: IMPLICATION FOR DATING YOUNG PALEOSEISMIC EVENTS

The Altyn Tagh Fault(ATF)is one of the most prominent active strike-slip faults in the India-Eurasia collision. Fresh features of surface ruptures, which are attributed to seismic events taking place in the last millennium, are identified at several sites along the Che'erchen River to Qingshui River section on the central part of ATF. Accurate chronology of these earthquake events would help understand the spatial-temporal relationship of the recent earthquakes. However, great difficulties are encountered. The central ATF is located in the arid area, and the vegetation cover is so limited that rare organic materials appropriate for radiocarbon dating can be found in the sediments. Luminescence dating technique may serve as an alternative to directly determine the burial ages of the earthquake related sediments. The optically stimulated luminescence(OSL)signal of quartz, which has been widely employed for luminescence dating, displays unwanted charateristics for accurate dating. Firstly, the quartz OSL signal is not sensitive to irradiation, which leads to low signal-to-noise ratio or even no measurable quartz OSL signal. Secondly, the targeted samples of the last millennium are very young, and the radiation dose received during the burial is expected to be less than 3~4Gy, which futher deteriorates the signal-to-noise ratio of the quartz OSL signal. Therefore, quartz OSL signal is not appropriate for dating the sediments relevant to the recent earthquakes on ATF.
The infrared stimulated luminescence(IRSL)signal of potassium feldspar is an alternative, and it is in usual an order of maginitude more sensitive to raidation than the quartz OSL signal. The enhanced signal-to-noise ratio makes it applicable to young samples. The post-IR IRSL signal has been successfully applied to date the sediments beyond the Holocene, however, the relatively slow bleaching of the post-IR IRSL signal poses challenges on applying it to young sediments, especially for the sediments deposited during the last millennium. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of using post-IR IRSL signal from potassium feldspar to date the earthquake events of the last millennium by employing modern sag pond deposits with different sorting and expected equivalent dose(D_e)of 0Gy. Choosing an appropriate measurement procedure and identifying the well bleached pottassium feldspar grains are essential for post-IR IRSL dating of young sediments. The non-fading characteristic of the post-IR IRSL₁₇₀ signal measured at 170℃ following a prior IR stimulation at 110℃ was verified by employing the D_e plateau test with respect to the signal integration interval and IR stimulation temperature together. Reducing the amount of potassium feldspar grains mounted on an aliquot would help reveal the among grains variation of bleaching level of post-IR IRSL₁₇₀ signal before depostion and identify the most sufficiently bleached grains. Therefore, the post-IR IRSL₁₇₀ D_e values of 2mm aliquots were measured for three samples with different sedimentary textures. The median of D_e distribution of well sorted and stratified sag pond deposits is consistent with the minimum D_e value inferred from the minimum age model(MAM-3) and finite mixture model(FMM), while for the poorly sorted deposits, the median is significantly overestimated compared with the minimum D_e values from the MAM-3 and the FMM. The minimum D_e values of 0.6~0.8Gy of all three samples are consistent with the unbleachable residual dose previously reported for post-IR IRSL signals measured at similar temperature for well bleached samples. It implies that by combined use of small aliquot and statistical age models, the well-bleached potassium feldspar grains could be identified. Such an intrinsic unbleachable component needs to be properly corrected when earthquake events of last millennium are to be dated in this area. Otherwise, the post-IR IRSL₁₇₀ age would be overestimated by 200~300a.
The post-IR IRSL₁₇₀ procedure investigated in this study is not only applicable for dating the paleoearthquake events along the Altyn Tagh Fault, but also with great potential to be applied to other tectonically active area. With consideration of the potential variability in post-IR IRSL signal characteristics of potassium feldspar grains from different origins, the signal stability needs to be routinely inspected. The modern analog sample would also be informative for justifying the measurement procedure and analytical method employed.