Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Thermoluminescence dating of sand dunes in Rajasthan, India

Nature volume 295, pages 313–315 (1982)Cite this article

Abstract

We report here a new application of thermoluminescence (TL) for dating sand dunes. This application assumes that exposure to sunlight causes bleaching of the geological TL of a sediment to a residual value and that TL accumulation starts again when the sediment is buried under fresh deposit and is thus shielded from the Sun. Although the TL method has been applied to loess1,2 and ocean sediments3,4, the application of this technique to sand dunes provides the first reliable dating control for dune dynamics, palaeoclimatology and spread of deserts.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Shelkoplyas, V. N. in Chronology of the Glacial Age (eds Zubakov, V. A. & Kochegura, V. V.) 155–160 (Geographical Society USSR, Leningrad, 1971).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Wintle, A. G. Nature 289, 479–480 (1981).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  3. Wintle, A. G. & Huntley, D. J. Nature 279, 710–712 (1979).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Wintle, A. G. & Huntley, D. J. Can. J. Earth Sci. 17, 348–360 (1980).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Zimmerman, D. W. Archaeometry 13, 29–52 (1971).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Agrawal, D. P., Bhandari, N., Lal, B. B. & Singhvi, A. K. Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. (E) 90, 161–172 (1981).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Wotan Sunlamp (Osram Gesellschaft, Berlin).

  8. Gupta, J. P. J. Hydrol. 41, 153–156 (1979).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  9. Aitken, M. J. Physics and Archaeology 2nd edn (Oxford University Press, London, 1974).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, 380009, India

    A. K. Singhvi, Y. P. Sharma & D. P. Agrawal

  2. Department of Physics, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, India

    Y. P. Sharma

Authors
  1. A. K. Singhvi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Y. P. Sharma
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. P. Agrawal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Singhvi, A., Sharma, Y. & Agrawal, D. Thermoluminescence dating of sand dunes in Rajasthan, India. Nature 295, 313–315 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/295313a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/295313a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing