Major Research Issues
Luminescence dating determines the last exposure to light or heat of natural minerals, mainly quartz and feldspar. Thereby the method can be used to determine the time of deposition and burial of sediments, or the time of baking of ceramic artefacts (pottery, brick). The method has a wide age range, covering the period from a few years to half a million years. Luminescence dating is ideally suited for aeolian and coastal deposits, but is increasingly and successfully used for a wide range of other depositional environments (e.g. fluvial, colluvial, anthropogenic).
Short Technical Description
Darkroom laboratory for sample preparation:
We prepare purified quartz and feldspar grains for luminescence measurements. All sample handling needs to be carried out in safelight conditions, as light exposure will harm the luminescence signals. Equipment in this laboartory includes:
- Sieves
- Fumecupboards
Darkroom laboratory for luminescence measurements:
After preparation, grains of quartz or feldspar are mounted on small stainless steel discs and measured in dedicated equipment, which encorporates a radiative source, light stimulation, and light detection (PM-tube). In this laboratory we have:
- 4 conventional Risoe TL/OSL readers
- 1 single grain Risoe OSL reader
Additional equipment:
- Honle SOL2 solar simulator; for controlled light exposure of samples.
- Canberra Broad-range gamma-spectrometer; to determine radionuclide concentrations in soils and sediments.
Specific Features
We are highly experienced in luminescence dating of sediments from a wide range of depositional environments. We have a special interest in dating young material, deposited during the last 1000 years.
Options And Conditions
Available for joint projects when costs for analysis are covered.
Unit Cost Of Use
The prize for full luminescence dating analysis, including sample preparation, measurement, analysis and report is 1000 € per sample (excl. VAT).