C and ESR dating of calcrete and gypcrete cores from the Amadeus Basin, Northern Territory, Australia

More than forty calcrete and gypcrete samples from bore holes in the Curtin Springs area of the Amadeus Basin, Central Australia, have been dated by means of the ¹⁴C and ESR techniques. The results indicate that the application of multiple dating techniques to samples from calcrete and gypcrete deposits enables age limits to be expanded and the number of datable material types to be increased with respect to Quaternary studies. The ability of the ¹⁴C and ESR techniques to determine the approximate age of calcrete and gypcrete deposits has been demonstrated.