Implications of broad dose distributions obtained with the single-aliquot regenerative-dose method on quartz fine-grains from loess

Six samples were collected from a section of Peoria Loess in Eustis, North America, for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz, and all except one (LV90) produced narrow dose distributions. A comparative study was conducted on this sample and on a ‘well-behaved’ sample (LV91), involving other dating methods and examination of the quartz OSL. These investigations revealed differences in the quartz OSL growth with dose, OSL response to thermal treatments and the range of components within the OSL signals. An ultra-fast component was found in LV90 that displayed a higher rate of sensitivity change than the fast component and this had a malign influence on the determination of the equivalent dose. The distinctive luminescence characteristics of LV90 imply either a change in wind dynamics and/or the source area for the silt.     

Testing an approach to OSL dating of Late Devensian glaciofluvial sediments of the British Isles

In the British and Irish Isles, the understanding of expansion and retreat of the last ice sheet in Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 has been hindered by a lack of chronological control for the timing of its maximum extent and subsequent retreat stages. In this research, a suite of lithofacies from a former distal ice marginal sandur at Orrisdale, Isle of Man, were identified and selected for optically stimulated luminescence dating. Different‐size fractions of quartz grains were extracted from selected lithofacies types with the aim of identifying which depositional environments and grain size fractions are best suited for optical dating. Tests have been undertaken to identify the luminescence properties of this quartz, including preheat dose recovery and constant‐wave optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) decay curve fitting. Equivalent dose distributions for all samples were wide and positively skewed, indicative of heterogeneous bleaching. A comprehensive statistically based decision‐making protocol has been defined in order to find the appropriate statistical model for burial dose estimation. Ages in the range of 17–14 ka have been obtained which agree with the expected geologically constrained chronology. The Orrisdale Formation is contemporaneous with Heinrich Event 1 and the Killard Point Stadial identified in eastern Ireland ca. 16.4 ka. The suggested approach for OSL dating of glaciofluvial sediments has the potential for much wider application to high latitude or temperate areas where there is an abundance of such sediments and where improved chronological control is much needed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Origin and evolution of closed depressions in central Belgium,European loess belt

Closed depressions (CDs) are lower lying areas where the sediment eroded from the surrounding soil surfaces draining towards the CD is trapped in the system. CDs have been reported in several regions of the European loess belt and are attributed either to natural processes (e.g. dissolution of subsurface horizons) or to human intervention (e.g. quarrying). Previous studies focussed mainly on cropland areas where, however, only few and largely filled in CDs remain. The objectives of this study were to i) assess the spatial distribution of CDs under forest and cropland, ii) to determine and compare the morphology of CDs under forest and under cropland, and iii) to determine the origin and age of these CDs under forest. In a study area located partly in ancient forest (13 km²) and partly in cropland (29 km²), a systematic survey revealed the presence of 71 CDs under forest (5·3 CD.km^?2) and 30 CDs under cropland (1 CD.km^?2). Comparison of their morphology showed that CDs under forest were significantly deeper, with steeper sidewalls and a smaller surface area because of the erosion and deposition processes acting on the CDs under cropland. By comparing CDs that had been under cropland for different time intervals, the rate of this morphological evolution could be reconstructed. Analysis of the soil stratigraphy of two representative CDs in the ancient forest area confirmed their origin as quarries. Most probably, calcareous loess was excavated since this soil horizon, about two to five meters thick, was completely absent within the CDs. Dating of the infilling of one CD by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) shows that the CD filled in between the first century BC and the fourth century AD. This dating corresponds to the dating of sediment deposits in nearby, human‐induced gullies that were attributed to an agricultural land use phase between the 18th century BC and the third century AD.     

Mechanisms of late Quaternary fault throw‐rate variability along the north central Gulf of Mexico coast: implications for coastal subsidence

Quaternary sea‐level cycles have caused dramatic depocentre shifts near the mouths of major rivers. The effects of these shifts on fault activity in passive margin settings is poorly known, as no studies have constrained passive margin fault throw‐rate variability over 10³ to 10⁵ year time scales. Here we present 11 mean throw rates for the Tepetate–Baton Rouge fault zone along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast in southern Louisiana. These data were obtained by optically stimulated luminescence dating over time scales spanning the last interglacial to the late Holocene. The mean throw rate is ca. 0.22 mm year^?1 during the late Holocene, ca. 0.03 mm year^?1 during the last glacial and at least 0.07 mm year^?1 during the last interglacial. Throw rates averaged over the late Pleistocene to present are spatially uniform within our study area. The temporal variability in throw rates suggests that shifts of the Mississippi River depocentre relative to this fault zone, driven by Quaternary sea‐level cycles, may have imposed a significant control on fault activity. The late Holocene throw rate is at least in the order of magnitude smaller than the rates of land‐surface subsidence in the Mississippi Delta, indicating that this fault zone is not a dominant contributor to subsidence in this region.     

Optical dating of Holocene lake sediments: Elimination of the feldspar component in fine silt quartz samples

Optically stimulated luminescence of fine silt quartz was investigated to establish chronologies for lake sediments from the British Isles. Feldspar contamination and its potential effects on equivalent dose (D_e) determination were examined. A new feldspar contamination test based on the thermal quenching of quartz OSL and thermal assistance of feldspar OSL identified feldspar contamination in samples being treated for 20 min in 20% hydrofluoric acid. Feldspar component monitoring based on the post-IR OSL/OSL ratio was not sufficiently sensitive to monitor a feldspar component, but is a good indicator whether a standard SAR procedure can be applied successfully, despite the presence of feldspar. Based on these results we used a modified SAR protocol including a 100 s IRSL stimulation at 50 °C before OSL readout. This protocol could overcome any malign effects of feldspar even for a feldspar bearing polymineral sub-sample.     

Late Pleistocene dust deposition in the Patagonian steppe - extending and refining the paleoenvironmental and tephrochronological record from Laguna Potrok Aike back to 55 ka

Paleoenvironmental records extending well into the last glacial period are scarce in the steppe regions of southern South America. Here, we present a continuous record for the past 55 ka from the maar lake Laguna Potrok Aike (51°58′ S, 70°23′ W, southern Patagonia, Argentina). Previous studies on a sedimentary core from a lake level terrace near the northern margin of the lake covered parts of Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 3 (59–29 ka) whereas a second core from the centre of the basin comprised the last 16 ka. Tephrostratigraphical constraints and OSL ages from a third core located below the lake level terrace provide the crucial piece to close the gap between the previous coring sites. High-resolution XRF and magnetic susceptibility as well as grain size data indicate a positive hydrological balance alongside with relatively high aeolian activity during the glacial which is contemporaneous with increased dust fluxes in Antarctica. This is therefore the first evidence for contemporaneity of aeolian deposition in both the target area (Antarctica) and in the major source area of Patagonia. During the Holocene climatic conditions driving sediment deposition seem to have been more variable and less dominated by wind compared to glacial times. The identification of a minor lake level lowering at approximately 4 cal ka BP allows to refine earlier paleoenvironmental reconstructions for the Holocene. Within error margins the OSL ages are consistent with published radiocarbon-dated records offering hence a valuable tool for further studies of the sediments from Laguna Potrok Aike. The new chronology confirms the age of three tephra layers up to now only found in Laguna Potrok Aike sediments and ascribed to OIS 3.     

A Two-Day Case Study: Comparison of Turbulence Data from an Unmanned Aircraft System with a Model Chain for Complex Terrain

The airborne measurement platform MASC-3 (Multi-Purpose Airborne Sensor Carrier) is used for measurements over a forested escarpment in the Swabian Alps to evaluate the wind field. Data from flight legs between 20 and 200 m above the ground on two consecutive days with uphill (westerly) flow in September 2018 are analyzed. In the lowest 140 m above the ground a speed-up is found with increased turbulence and changes in wind direction directly over the escarpment, whereas in the lowest 20 to 50 m above the ground a deceleration of the flow is measured. Additionally, simulation results from a numerical model chain based on the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and an OpenFOAM (Open Source Field Operation and Manipulation) model, developed for complex terrain, are compared to the data captured by MASC-3. The models and measurements compare well for the mean wind speed and inclination angle.

     

Optical dating of tidal sediments: Potentials and limits inferred from the North Sea coast

The accuracy of optical ages derived from tidal sediments depends largely upon the transport processes. These processes constrain the degree of bleaching by the time of deposition and the choice of grain size for dating. This study looks at flow regime, sediment bedding, particle size and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) over tidal flats in order to identify the tidal sub-environment from which reliable multigrain optical ages are most likely to be achieved. The resulting conceptual model is then compared with empirical OSL data obtained from Holocene sediments of the southern North Sea tidal coastal plain of continental Europe. Optical dating of the tidal sediments included single-aliquot-regenerative dose protocol applied to multigrain aliquots of fine sand and fine silt, statistical analysis using weighted skewness, standardised kurtosis and over-dispersion. It is inferred from the model that smaller grains should be better bleached than larger grains. However, because transport and deposition processes are extremely variable in both space and time, unequivocal “bleaching rules” could not be assigned to a particular tidal sub-environment. In this context more than 85% of our samples return accurate ages and around 13% of our optical ages are overestimated when compared with ages from established well-constrained stratigraphic frameworks. The empirical study confirms the concept of “variable bleaching rules”: both accurate and inaccurate ages are obtained from silty and sandy OSL samples regardless of the sub-environment and well-bleached samples may be obtained from all tidal sub-environments. Although our study is based on multiple-grain aliquots it also shows that an independent statistical treatment of equivalent dose data is an indispensable procedure to detect and correct for insufficient bleaching.