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Luminescence Dating, Loess

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Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods

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Synonyms

Infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL); Optical dating; Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL); Thermoluminescence (TL)

Definition

Luminescence dating. A family of chronologic methods typically applied to the commonly occurring minerals quartz and feldspar, which exploits a time-dependent signal that builds up in mineral grains by exposure to naturally occurring ionizing radiation (principally from uranium, thorium, and potassium). The methods assess the time elapsed since these mineral grains were last exposed to sunlight or to heating. In the case of sediments, the event being dated is the last exposure to sunlight, i.e., typically the time of deposition of the sediment.

Loess. A fine-grained terrestrial sedimentary deposit derived from wind-blown dust.

Introduction

Loess deposits preserve one of the most detailed and lengthy terrestrial records of Quaternary climate change on Earth; the key to unlocking these records is the development of a chronology. Early chronologies...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Llandinam Bldg., Penglais Campus, SY23 3DB, Aberystwyth, Wales, UK

    Helen M. Roberts

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  1. Helen M. Roberts
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Correspondence to Helen M. Roberts .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    W. Jack Rink

  2. Department of Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Jeroen Thompson

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Roberts, H.M. (2014). Luminescence Dating, Loess. In: Rink, W., Thompson, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6326-5_127-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6326-5_127-1

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