Luminescence dating consists of a family of analytical methods, most of which are used in archaeological research.
Problems associated with the technique of optical dating are discussed, particularly the thermal treatment that is necessary to remove thermally unstable charge following artificial irradiation, and the extrapolation of growth curves to estimate the equivalent dose.
The technique used is described and some preliminary dates are presented.
In this technique the dating signal is stimulated by light rather than heat (as with thermoluminescence).
Application has so far been to quartz, feldspars and polymineral grains from unburnt sediment which was exposed to sunlight or daylight in the course of deposition.
OSL dating has created new opportunities to investigate human interactions with their environments during the past million years, and single-grain OSL techniques can provide critical information on the stratigraphic integrity of archaeological sites.
My research interests include improvements to single-grain OSL techniques and development of statistical models to more reliably date natural and archaeological deposits.
When the preheat time is fixed as 10s,the De preheat plateau regions are 250 ∼ 280°C and 180 ∼260°C for regeneration dose and test dose respectively for fine-grained quartz in Chinese loess,no matter using single-aliquot regenerative-dose(SAR) protocol or sensitivity change corrected multiple-aliquot regenerative-dose (SMAR) protocol.
After reanalyzing the De preheat plateau data derived by SMAR protocol, variation of the ratio of natural OSL intensity to regenerated dose aliquot OSL intensity (N/R) with preheat temperature changes in the similar way with the plot of De as a function of preheat temperature.
The essential aspects are outlined and the technique's success as a practical dating tool is noted.
An important future is seen for the technique, along with thermoluminescence, in establishing a sediment-based chronology for man and the environment over the past few hundred thousand years.
No evidence of glacier expansion recorded from the basin correlates with the period of the g LGM.