Abstract
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals from quartz can be used to determine when sedimentary archives were deposited. OSL dating uses the accumulation of energy stored in a crystal structure to measure time. This stored energy is absorbed from ionizing radiation, and is released (reset) by heat or daylight. The total specific energy (dose) absorbed since the last resetting is measured using OSL, and divided by the rate of storage (dose rate) to give the time elapsed from the last heating or daylight exposure. In this Primer, quartz OSL dating is introduced and the signal resetting processes outlined. We describe the origins and quantification of the dose rate and the daylight-sensitive OSL signal most appropriate to dose estimation. The most widely used dose measurement method is then discussed, together with quality-control procedures. A broad set of geological and archaeological studies are used to illustrate the wide range of potential applications, and we describe the challenges arising from different deposition environments and summarize evidence for the precision and accuracy of published ages. Uncertainties and minimum reporting are discussed together with methodological limitations, particularly when applied to young and old sediments. Finally, we highlight the anticipated future developments in the field.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank the referees for their useful suggestions, which certainly improved the manuscript. A.K.S. acknowledges the Science and Engineering Research Board (DST), India, for a Year of Science Chair Professorship. J.-P.B. received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC-2014-StG 639904 — RELOS). G.G. received funding from the ERC under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC Grant agreement No. 851793 — QuinaWorld). J.Q. is funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC41671008).
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Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Introduction (A.M., L.J.A., J.-P.B., G.G., J.Q., A.K.S., R.S. and K.J.T.); Experimentation (A.M., L.J.A., J.-P.B., G.G., J.Q., A.K.S., R.S. and K.J.T.); Results (A.M., L.J.A., J.-P.B., G.G., J.Q., A.K.S., R.S. and K.J.T.); Applications (A.M., L.J.A., J.-P.B., G.G., J.Q., A.K.S., R.S. and K.J.T.); Reproducibility and data deposition (A.M., L.J.A., J.-P.B., G.G., J.Q., A.K.S., R.S. and K.J.T.); Limitations and optimizations (A.M., L.J.A., J.-P.B., G.G., J.Q., A.K.S., R.S. and K.J.T.); Outlook (A.M., L.J.A., J.-P.B., G.G., J.Q., A.K.S., R.S. and K.J.T.); Overview of the Primer (A.M.).
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Competing interests
K.J.T. and J.-P.B. are both employees of the Technical University of Denmark, a producer of luminescence dating instrumentation. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.
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Nature Reviews Methods Primers thanks Ian Bailiff, Lily Bossin, James Feathers, Michelle Nelson and Eduardo Yukihara for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
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Related links
BRITICE-CHRONO project: http://www.britice-chrono.group.shef.ac.uk/
INQUA Dunes Atlas: http://www.dri.edu/inquadunesatlas/
Lund/LBNL Nuclear Data Search: http://nucleardata.nuclear.lu.se/toi/
The National Nuclear Data Center: https://www.nndc.bnl.gov/nudat2/
Supplementary information
Glossary
- Radiocarbon dating
-
A dating technique based on the decay of radiocarbon. Can only be applied to material of organic origin.
- Cosmogenic radionuclide dating
-
Any one of several methods to date the length of exposure of minerals at the surface (or sometimes length of burial) using the build up or decay of radioactivity induced by cosmic rays.
- Uranium-series dating
-
A dating method based on the change in concentration with time of members of the 238U decay series (particularly 230Th, 226Ra and 210Pb), from some initial disequilibrium towards secular equilibrium.
- Argon–argon dating
-
(Or potassium–argon dating). A dating technique based on the decay of 40K to 40Ar.
- Neolithic
-
The most recent division of the Stone Age (past ~12 thousand years ago (ka)), associated with the development of farming.
- ka
-
(Thousands of years ago). Period of time in age in calendar years (a).
- Quartz
-
The most common natural form of the compound SiO2, making up about 20% of the Earth’s crust.
- Feldspar
-
A group of potassium-, sodium- and calcium-rich aluminosilicate minerals, making up ~40% of the Earth’s crust.
- Reset
-
In the case of luminescence, set to zero or ‘bleached’.
- Bleached
-
In the case of luminescence, set to zero or reset.
- Thermoluminescence
-
The thermally stimulated luminescence signal observed when a sample is heated to evict stored charge from traps.
- Optically stimulated luminescence
-
(OSL). The luminescence signal observed when stored charge is stimulated (evicted from traps) by visible or near-visible light.
- Dose
-
The total amount of energy absorbed per unit mass from ionizing radiation (grays).
- Dose rate
-
The rate of energy absorption from ionizing radiation during burial (grays per thousand years ago).
- cal. BP
-
Calibrated radiocarbon age before present, that is, converted into calendar years (a) by calibration, and referred to AD 1950. As it indicates that the age was derived using radiocarbon, cal. BP should not be used for ages derived from other methods.
- Crotovina
-
An animal burrow that has been back-filled with material from overlying sediments.
- Sedimentological boundaries
-
Strictly, distinct breaks (unconformities) between bodies of sediment. Often used more informally to describe gradational boundaries.
- γ-Ray
-
Ionizing radiation in the form of an energetic photon produced by nuclear decay.
- Overburden
-
The material covering some geological feature of interest.
- α-Particles
-
Ionizing radiation in the form of energetic helium nuclei produced by nuclear decay.
- β-Particle
-
Ionizing radiation in the form of an energetic electron produced by nuclear decay.
- Bq
-
(Becquerel). A nuclear disintegration per second.
- Secular equilibrium
-
Where the production and decay rates of each nuclide in a decay chain are almost identical.
- Gy
-
(Grays). The energy absorbed per unit mass from ionizing radiation: 1 Gy = 1 J kg−1.
- Quantum efficiency
-
The ratio of the number of detected events to the number of incident photons in a photon detector such as a photomultiplier tube (PMT).
- Full width at half maximum
-
A numerical description of the width of a peak in data or response.
- Dark count rate
-
The count rate from a photon detector completely obscured from light (per second).
- Half-life
-
The period of time taken for 50% of a particular radionuclide to undergo radioactive decay and change into another element (seconds). Often written as τ½.
- D e
-
Equivalent dose. The laboratory dose that induces the same luminescence response as the natural dose (grays).
- λ
-
The nuclide-specific probability of a nuclear decay (per second).
- Fast component
-
The part of the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signal that decays most rapidly during stimulation.
- D c
-
(Or Do). A constant used to describe the curvature of the luminescence response to the dose D, usually in an expression of the form Y = A [1– exp(–D/Dc)] where A is a constant describing the upper limit to Y (grays).
- Central limits theorem
-
Theory stating that the sum of independent random variables tends towards a normal distribution, even when the original variables themselves are not normally distributed.
- Single aliquot regenerative dose
-
(SAR). A single aliquot procedure for determining the equivalent dose De, based on resetting the luminescence signal to zero between each measurement of luminescence, whether resulting from natural or laboratory doses
- Single aliquot added dose
-
A single aliquot procedure for determining the equivalent dose De, by adding doses to the natural dose and measuring the growth of the resulting luminescence signal.
- Loess
-
Wind-blown dust, predominantly consisting of silt-sized (4–63 µm) grains.
- Igneous rocks
-
Rocks formed by the solidification (crystallization) of magma or lava.
- Primary rock
-
Any rock that formed by solidification (crystallization) from the melt.
- Infrared stimulated luminescence
-
The luminescence signal observed when stored charge is stimulated (evicted from traps) by infrared light.
- Arrhenius kinetics
-
If an electron escaping a trap has a minimum energy Ea, the rate of escape is \(A{{\rm{e}}}^{-\frac{{E}_{{\rm{a}}}}{{k}_{{\rm{B}}}T}}\). The ‘frequency factor’ A is interpreted as the number of escape attempts (per second) made by the electron, and \({{\rm{e}}}^{-\frac{{E}_{{\rm{a}}}}{{k}_{{\rm{B}}}T}}\) as the probability, at temperature T, that any attempt will result in escape. kB is Boltzmann’s constant.
- Thresholds
-
In climate science, the points at which a small change in a physical or chemical parameter (such as global temperature) can lead to a tipping point in outcome and a shift to a new equilibrium state or range of average conditions (such as massive loss of global ice mass)
- Leads and lags
-
In climate science, the difference in timing between changes in two correlated climate phenomena (for example, build up of global ice and changes in regional dust deposition).
- Sand wedges
-
Cracks formed in frozen ground and then filled with sand; this preserves them in the sedimentary record.
- Bioturbation
-
After initial deposition, the reworking of sediment by biota (plants, animals and so on).
- Pedoturbation
-
After initial deposition, the reworking of sediment by the geochemical and biological processes of soil formation.
- Cryoturbation
-
After initial deposition, the reworking of sediment by the freeze/thaw cycle.
- Anthropocene
-
A proposed geological epoch covering the period of significant impact on Earth’s geology and ecosystems by humans.
- Palaeosol
-
A fossil soil (that is, one no longer forming); usually found buried within a sequence of sedimentary units.
- Middens
-
In archaeology, refuse piles of domestic waste.
- Ejecta
-
Material thrown out by volcanic eruption.
- Vadose zone
-
In a porous body (of sediment), the part lying between the ground surface and the water table.
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Murray, A., Arnold, L.J., Buylaert, JP. et al. Optically stimulated luminescence dating using quartz. Nat Rev Methods Primers 1, 72 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-021-00068-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43586-021-00068-5
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