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.     

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.     

TL dating studies of tephra, loess and lacustrine sediments

A brief review is presented of my efforts to improve the accuracy of dating unheated sediments by TL and of the development of a new tephrochronometer. Specific applications to known-age deposits are outlined, as are studies of the depositional environment of subaqueous sediments. Removal of anomalous fading in loess by storage at 75°C for 8 days is demostrated.Throughout, for unheated sediments the preferential use of the partial bleach (R-gamma or R-beta) technique is emphasized, especially in situations where the growth curves are sublinear. Contrary to a widespread misconception, sublinearity does not invalidate the partial bleach method. Furthermore, examples are given of TL ‘sensitivity’ (or ‘efficiency’) changes occurring with the regeneration technique — changes that are variable and seemingly sample dependent.     

甘肃陇中黄土高原农业灌溉耗水系数监测试验研究

选择甘肃省临洮县洮惠渠灌区为试验研究区,通过直接观读、自动监测等技术手段,获取试验灌区的引水量、退水量、土壤墒情、降水量及蒸发量等水文基础数据。以水文监测基础数据为依据,采用引排差法、水分平衡法等相结合的方法,开展了农业灌溉耗水系数试验研究。初步试验结果表明:试验灌区灌溉期平均耗水系数为0. 730,典型地块灌溉期平均耗水系数为0. 671,2016年试验灌区降水量较常年偏少13. 0%~26. 3%,总体上属轻度干旱年份。该研究成果可为甘肃陇中黄土高原区水资源管理提供技术支撑。     

TL dating of partially bleached sediments by the regeneration method

Thermoluminescence dating of sediments in the Warsaw laboratory is based on blue-to-green emission. The ‘partial bleach + regeneration’ method is proposed for dating sediments which have not been completely bleached at the time of burial. Correct TL ages are reported for sediments covering organic deposits of the Eemian Interglacial and also for glacial sediments of Würm and Riss age. We obtained good results for dating till using the partial bleach + regeneration method. The TL zeroing in till is explained by the ‘rubbing’ or compression of grains beneath the glacier and by the freeze-thaw activity occurring during glacial transport and deglaciation.     

TL and ESR dating of speleothems and radioactive disequilibrium in the uranium series

Dating of speleothems by TL and ESR is seriously complicated by radioactive disequilibria in the uranium series. This paper presents a simple method which takes into consideration the U-series disequilibria in the case where the annual dose is determined by gamma scintillation spectrometry. The method described is based on the concept of an appropriately defined ‘laboratory age’ and enables direct reading of the age of a sample from the curve (the GH plot) independently of the results of measurements.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Rare-earth elements in Luochuan loess section,Shaanxi province

TheΣ REE in loesses of different ages in the Luochuan section shows a narrow range of variation, indicating the homogeneity of loessic materials in chemical composition. The REEs in loess are concentrated mainly in silt-sized detrital minerals. Loesses and paleosols of different ages all are relatively enriched in rare-earth elements of the Ce family, and show similar REE distribution patterns. The fractionation among various REEs in the loess is different from that in morainic, marine and lacustrine sediments, but is similar to that in sand samples from deserts in Northwest China. The ratios of Ce/Ce* and Eu/Eu* reflect that the provenance of loessic materials and their accumulating area are all in an oxidation environment with weakly basic mediums under arid or semi-arid climate.     

ESR dating and trapped electrons lifetime of quartz grains in loess of China

This paper reports the preliminary application of ESR dating to loess strata. The samples were collected from the 7th palaeosol layer (S7) of the Luochuan section, Shaanxi province in China. The ESR age of S7 is 736 ka (total dose 2945 Gy, annual dose 4 mGy/year). This age represents the original eolian accumulation age. The result is consistent with the palaeomagnetic data (730 ka). We have also carried out thermal annealing experiments on quartz grains from the S7 sample. ESR intensities (g = 2.0005) increase from 25°C to 320°C. It may be that trapped electrons transfer into the E′ centre site. ESR intensities decrease from 340°C to 460°C due to thermal annealing. We obtained a mean-life of E′ centre electrons at 20°C of 6.66 × 10⁸ years. The activation energy is 1.35 eV and frequency factor is 3.7 × 10⁸ min⁻¹.     

Three frost wedge casts from Jutland (Denmark) and TL dating of their infill

Excavations for an oil pipeline in western Jutland provided the opportunity to study geological features in the trenches. Among these were ice wedge casts, composite wedge casts, and wedges with primary infilling of eolian sand. In this paper the characteristics of three wedges with a high proportion of primary infill of eolian sand are described in some detail. Thermoluminescence (TL) dating was made on the eolian sand using 0.1–0.3 mm grains of quartz and potassium feldspar. The TL ages are: 39,000 ± 5,000, 24,000 ± 3,000, and 17,000 ± 3,000 years B.P. These ages are discussed and compared with indirect datings. Palaeoenvironmental conditions at the time of maximum cold during the upper part of the Weichselian are briefly considered.     

帕米尔高原瓦恰盆地黄土的石英光释光测年

中亚黄土对研究亚洲内陆干旱化、亚洲粉尘来源、亚洲季风和西风环流变化以及两者在中亚相互作用历史均具有重要意义。中亚南部帕米尔高原不同地貌面上广泛发育有厚约1~2 m的风成黄土沉积,文章对高原东北部瓦恰盆地的两个黄土剖面进行了细颗粒石英光释光测年。结果表明,瓦恰盆地黄土样品石英光释光信号主要源于325℃热释光信号所对应陷阱电子,以快速组分为主。每个样品分别采用石英光释光信号标准生长曲线法（SGC）和全球石英光释光标准生长曲线法（gSGC）获得的等效剂量与其单测片再生剂量法（SAR）实测等效剂量值在误差范围内是一致的,说明SGC法与gSGC法适用于瓦恰盆地的黄土测年。两个剖面黄土样品石英SAR法光释光年龄界于4.7~14.3 ka,沉积速率由早期的0.11 mm/a加速至全新世的0.15~0.18 mm/a。据沉积速率估算剖面1黄土堆积于17.2 ka至2.7 ka之间,主要堆积于末次冰盛期末至全新世晚期,且远比其所在地貌面要年轻。本研究为进一步开展帕米尔高原黄土古环境研究提供了年代框架。

     

云南呈贡龙潭山 1 号洞堆积物的铀系年龄

测定了人类化石地点云南呈贡龙潭山1号洞5个次生碳酸盐样的质谱法铀系年代。其中位于含人牙化石的II 堆积层下界面不远处的L TSY- 3石笋样质谱230 Th /234U 年龄为( 305± 15) ka; 而其余4 个样品经现场地层复核,它们与堆积均缺乏明确的叠压关系,因此认为它们很可能源自洞顶或洞壁石幔。此外,还测定了该地点5个动物化石样的230 Th /234 U 年龄,其结果为60～ 80 ka,平行测定了其中3 个样品的227 Th /230 Th 年龄,二种铀系年龄均在± 1. 5σ范围内一致,从而支持了该地点骨化石样铀系年代的可信度。在没有进一步的地层和年代证据之前,暂将60～ 80 ka 作为含人牙化石的第I I层堆积的年代应是合理的。但值得指出的是,由于骨化石中铀循环模式的不确定性,与有明确层位意义的钙板相比,洞穴地点的这类材料年代结果往往偏于年轻,因此上述年代测定结果很可能也存在偏低问题。      

陕西蒲城Q2黄土湿陷变形特性研究

利用GDG型高压固结仪和自行研制的非饱和土湿陷三轴仪对陕西蒲城电厂Q2黄土一维和三维应力状态下的湿陷性进行了试验研究,分析了Q2黄土的湿陷特性。试验结果表明：一维状态下,Q2黄土以中等和弱湿陷为主,峰值湿陷系数随深度增加而变小,常规压力下不湿陷的Q2黄土在高压力下可能湿陷,Q2地层中黄土层的湿陷性总体上强于古土壤层,湿陷的敏感性较弱,大型工程宜用实际压力评价湿陷性。三维状态下,湿陷应变随浸水量的变化曲线可以近似分为3段,即湿陷应变缓慢增加段、快速发展段和基本不变段;浸水前的吸力、净围压、偏应力对湿陷过程均有影响,且偏应力和吸力的影响更明显;三轴浸水过程湿陷体应变随湿陷轴应变的增加而增大,几乎是一条直线,体现了湿陷变形的特殊性。     

High-resolution chronologies for loess: comparing AMS 14C and optical dating results

The Nußloch loess section in South West Germany is famous in Central Europe for its thick deposits from the Last Glacial Maximum. It has therefore been intensively studied during the past few years and offers an excellent opportunity to compare the performance of different dating techniques covering the period 15–45 ka.Here we present results from optical and AMS ¹⁴C dating. The silt-sized polymineral fraction of the clastic sediments and a multiple-aliquot approach was used for IR-OSL dating. ¹⁴C dating was carried out on organic macro-remnants and humin fractions extracted from the sediments.With the exception of samples taken from the uppermost 1.5 m of the section, IR-OSL and calibrated ¹⁴C-AMS ages are consistent over the entire period. The inconsistencies in the upper meters are thought to be due to disturbances during soil formation in the Holocene. The good agreement obtained on the remaining sequence demonstrates the high accuracy of both methods when studying loess sections: for the IR-OSL ages no significant age underestimations are obvious.The results clearly document that accurate chronologies can be developed for such continental sedimentary sequences. This gives access to archives that can now be studied with a high temporal resolution and allows the establishment of new paleoclimatic proxies for the study of terrestrial responses to past climatic changes.     

Unprecedented last-glacial mass accumulation rates determined by luminescence dating of loess from western Nebraska

A high-resolution chronology for Peoria (last glacial period) Loess from three sites in Nebraska, midcontinental North America, is determined by applying optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating to 35–50 μm quartz. At Bignell Hill, Nebraska, an OSL age of 25,000 yr near the contact of Peoria Loess with the underlying Gilman Canyon Formation shows that dust accumulation occurred early during the last glacial maximum (LGM), whereas at Devil’s Den and Eustis, Nebraska, basal OSL ages are significantly younger (18,000 and 21,000 yr, respectively). At all three localities, dust accumulation ended at some time after 14,000 yr ago. Mass accumulation rates (MARs) for western Nebraska, calculated using the OSL ages, are extremely high from 18,000 to 14,000 yr—much higher than those calculated for any other pre-Holocene location worldwide. These unprecedented MARs coincide with the timing of a mismatch between paleoenvironmental evidence from central North America, and the paleoclimate simulations from atmospheric global circulation models (AGCMs). We infer that the high atmospheric dust loading implied by these MARs may have played an important role, through radiative forcing, in maintaining a colder-than-present climate over central North America for several thousand years after summer insolation exceeded present-day values.     

Thermoluminescence dating of coarse-grain quartz from the Malan loess at Zhaitang section, China

Thermoluminescence (TL) ages were obtained for five loess samples taken from the Zhaitang section near Beijing, China, using the coarse-grain quartz technique. The paleodose values have been determined by the method of total sample bleaching and regeneration of the TL growth curve. The method appears to be suitable for the age determination of loess samples up to about 150,000 yr where the annual dose-rate values are of the order 3–4 mGy/yr. This limit is a function of the total accumulated dose. The ages are in good agreement with those obtained by a fine-grain TL technique and are consistent with geological and geomagnetostratigraphic evidence.