An accurate chronological framework is vital if we are to use lacustrine sediments on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) for paleoclimate reconstruction. Radiocarbon (14C) dating is the most frequently used method for dating late Quaternary lacustrine sediments. However, it is often affected by potential reservoir effects. Owing to the complex hydrogeology and sedimentology processes of the lake we study in

The feasibility of applying optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) techniques to obtain estimates of the burial age of lithic clasts in the form of pebbles of quartzose lithology is investigated in this study. We applied OSL measurement procedures to vein-quartz and quartzite pebbles from contexts at five sites with fluvial and coastal beach contexts of depositional age ranging from 500 ka to the

Usual methods are unfortunately unsuitable to accurately date many Holocene deposits and landforms from active Mexican volcanoes. This is notably the case for the Tacaná Volcanic Complex (TVC), located in the State of Chiapas in southern Mexico, and the San Marcos Department in Guatemala. The complex consists of the Chichuj, Tacaná, and San Antonio volcanoes and the Ardillas dome. Tacaná volcano, the

Paleomagnetism is a powerful tool for establishing an almost continuous chronostratigraphy for an entire region. When combined with other dating methods, absolute or relative, it can be used to develop a regional reference chronostratigraphic framework. During the summer of 2016, several piston cores were collected along the Atlantic side of the Lesser Antilles onboard the R/V Pourquoi pas? as part

Volcanic sediments are generally difficult to date using luminescence dating methods, but many important archaeological and palaeoanthropological sites are located in volcanic regions. Here we present an improved dating procedure for grains with composite mineralogies deposited at Liang Bua, the type locality of Homo floresiensis in Indonesia, using the post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence

In optical dating of feldspars, it is commonly supposed that potassium (K)-rich feldspar grains have been isolated for luminescence measurements by means of density separation. The K and rubidium (Rb) concentrations of these grains deliver a significant internal beta dose rate. K and Rb concentrations of 12.5 ± 0.5 wt% and 400 ± 100 ppm, respectively, are typically assumed for dose rate and age calculation

Knowledge of the Marine Reservoir Effect (MRE) correction is fundamental in palaeoceanographic research to establish an accurate age-depth model for marine sedimentary records. However, during the last decades different MRE corrections have been applied in inconsistent ways for the same locality and same sediment cores, at Soledad Basin, Baja California, Mexico, creating confusion about the proper

In recent years, rock surface dating has seen the emergence of a technique based on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). This application translates the depth of OSL signal bleaching within a rock surface into an exposure age or erosion rate at 1-104 a timescales. Considerable effort has been undertaken to improve our understanding of OSL rock surface dating, yet a large amount of uncertainty associated

In the high mountain rock walls of the Mont Blanc massif, changes in the granite surface colour are related to its exposure age. The light grey colour of fresh rock surfaces turns orange when is long exposed to weathering. In order to study this colour/age relationship, reflectance spectroscopy was performed on 73 samples, and Terrestrial Cosmogenic Nuclide (TCN) dating was used to obtain their surface

Luminescence dating methods on natural minerals such as quartz and feldspars are indispensable for establishing chronologies in Quaternary Science. Commonly applied sediment dating methods are optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL). In 1999, Trautmann et al. (1999a, b) proposed a new related technique called infrared radiofluorescence (IR-RF). IR-RF denotes

The luminescence sensitivity of a sample is the luminescence intensity measured in response to unit radioactive dose. Sensitivity is by no means a stable parameter, it might change during measurements, or in nature as well. The primary or natural magnitude of luminescence sensitivity is basically determined by mineralogical background (number of crystal impurities) and sedimentary prehistory (repeated

The Lower Pecos Canyonlands was the first study area where the method of plasma oxidation was employed to extract organic material from prehistoric rock paintings for accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating. During the developmental phase of this method, Rowe's laboratory at Texas A&M University obtained 32 radiocarbon measurements for Lower Pecos rock art: 29 dates for 16 paintings of the

The stratigraphic sequences of numerous Palaeolithic sites of Central and Southern Italy, very rich in both archaeological and palaeontological remains, have also recorded Pleistocene volcanic events through volcanic ash deposits (tephra). They allow the establishment of an accurate chronological framework by comparing results obtained by 40Ar/39Ar dating method on single volcanic K-feldspar crystals

Eruption of the Old Crow tephra deposited ∼200 km3 of volcanic ash throughout Alaska and the northwestern Yukon (eastern Beringia), providing an isochronous marker across the region on a scale unique in the Pleistocene. The Old Crow tephra represents a critical temporal piercing point used extensively to link geographically disparate stratigraphic sections and the paleo-environmental records they contain

Distal tephra from the major Somma-Vesuvius Avellino (AV) eruption is widespread in the coastal basins of Southern Lazio (Central Italy). Dated to 1995 ± 10 cal yr BC in 2011, later on doubts arose about the reliability of this frequently cited age. This led to a major effort to date AV tephra holding sections, based on a thorough methodological approach. Various aspects were studied to identify sections

Lake sediment archives covering several glacial cycles are scarce in the Southern Hemisphere and they are challenging to date. Here we present the chronostratigraphy of the oldest continuous lake sediment archive in Tasmania, Australia; a 5.5 m and 270 ka (Marine Isotope Stage 8) sediment core from Lake Selina. We employ radiometric dating (radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence) and relative

Saltmarshes, wetlands, inter-tidal mudflats are highly productive natural ecosystems with significant ecological value. 210Pb and 137Cs have been used for establishing chronologies at a centennial scale in these sediments. They are relevant for assessing how saltmarshes are vulnerable to climate change, natural hazards and contamination from human inputs. This paper aims to review and adapt existing

Landsliding is a major natural hazard; therefore, understanding its activity is an important objective worldwide. For the investigation of the current landslide events, dendrogeomorphic methods are commonly used as they allow quite a precise dating of individual events. Nevertheless, there is still a question of whether dendrogeomorphic methods can successfully work for landslides with low-magnitude

Infrared photoluminescence (IRPL) is a Stokes-shifted emission arising from radiative relaxation of the excited state of the principal dosimetric tap in feldspar. Recent investigations have revealed that there exist two IRPL emissions at 880 nm and 955 nm (for excitation using 830 nm laser). Since IRPL does not depend on the recombination centers, the signal can be read out non-destructively; this

The production of high-resolution and accurate age models for lake sediments in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is a prerequisite for subsequent paleoclimatic studies. However, Holocene lake sedimentary records with high-quality age controls from the TP are extremely scarce. Here we present the results of a comparative study of the results of the application of multiple dating techniques (14C, 210Pb, 137Cs)

The hydrological conditions of a lake system strongly influence the reservoir effect in the radiocarbon dating of endogenic organic and inorganic carbon in lake sediments. In this paper, we compare 14C dating with varve counting results for cores from Kusai Lake to determine the temporal changes in 14C reservoir ages during the last 2000 years. Based on the 14C budget equation for a lake system, the

Lake sediments are widely applied to investigate palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental changes on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Radiocarbon dating of various materials is one of the most commonly used methods to constrain the timing of lake sediment deposition, but it is problematic for most lakes on the TP due to carbon reservoir effects. Because palaeomagnetic secular variations (PSV) share similar

Luminescence ages of eight sandy beach-ridge samples from the Krishna–Godavari delta region on the east coast of India were obtained by synthesizing ages based on three luminescence signals, i.e., optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) from quartz, infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL), and post-infrared (pIR) IRSL290°C from feldspar. Standard statistical procedures and hierarchical Bayesian modeling

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating on quartz is well established following the introduction of the Single-Aliquot Regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol. Despite its widespread use, it has a major drawback in frequently underestimating the age of samples with equivalent dose (De) larger than ~120 Gy. In this study, we investigate fine-grained quartz extracted from Chinese loess with fairly well

In this study tektites from across the Australasian strewn field (specifically, mainland Australia, Tasmania, Java, Malaysia) have been dated by the fission-track method. Twelve tektites from 9 localities define two age groups: one has a weighted mean age of 822 ± 20 ka based on 12 age determinations, and the other is 655 ± 20 ka based on 10 age determinations. The older group represents formation

The study of the paleoenvironment depends upon proxies of palaeovegetation associated with chronological records. Carbon stable isotopes in soil samples provide information on the past vegetation type due to differences in mass fractionation during photosynthesis. Radiocarbon measurements on soil organic matter may also have different behaviors, given the complexity of soils as mixtures of multiple

The British Isles lack long high-precision and independent chronologies to reconstruct Holocene environmental and climatic conditions at sub-decadal timescales. This paper reports the first Holocene varved chronology for the lacustrine sediment record of Diss Mere in the UK. The record of Diss Mere is 15 m long, and shows 4.2 m of finely-laminated sediments, which are present between ca. 9 and 13 m

While amino acid (AA) geochronology has been widely applied to foraminiferal biomineral proteins, there has been limited assessment of the potential of isolating an ‘intra-crystalline’ fraction of proteins to improve the reliability of AA geochronology for foraminifera. In this study, bleaching experiments were carried out on the foraminifer Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral) from an independently

The knowledge of spatial distribution of landslide events is crucial from forest management, landscape planning or hazard assessment point of view. Dendrogeomorphic approaches are actually a suitable tool for construction of past landslide behaviour due to known position of sampled trees. The position of trees on the landslide surface can influence the detection of the spatial patterns of landslide

The abundance of marine mollusks found in Pre-Columbian archaeological sites in the Caribbean has made them enticing sample types for radiocarbon dating. Unfortunately, a paucity of local marine reservoir corrections (ΔR) for most of the region limits building chronologies using marine-based carbonates. Here we present a suite of 33 new ΔR values for 22 islands in both the Greater and Lesser Antilles

Two cores from a Weichselian periglacial alluvial fan were dated using 14C and OSL, to verify the reliability of both methods and check the upper dating limit of the 14C method. Both dating methods yielded a similar chronology for core Eerbeek-I, with infinite 14C dates for the lower part where OSL dates indicated ages of over 45 ka. Finite 14C dates were obtained throughout the core for Eerbeek-II

The ancient rock paintings drawn with ochre on the limestone cliffs at 15 sites in Cangyuan County, in southwestern China, contain more than 1200 identifiable figures. The paintings portray scenes of daily life in a remote mountainous area. The inhabitants probably led a sedentary life of animal herding and cultivation and in the scenes they are engaged in activities such as dancing, hunting and fighting

Radioactive isotopes are extremely useful for determining the age of corals, which can also provide extremely useful archives of past climate change and environmental pollution. In this study, we present a novel approach for dating young corals (<10 a), by applying the 228Th/228Ra method. 228Th/228Ra disequilibrium was widely observed in a variety of coral genera, from the fringing reefs to atoll reefs

Pyrogenic carbon (charcoal, black carbon, elemental carbon) is one of the most common materials used for radiocarbon dating of terrestrial samples. However, exogenous carbon contamination can compromise the accuracy of radiocarbon ages. This study presents the results of two chemical pretreatments prior to hydrogen pyrolysis (hypy) as improved protocols for the isolation and decontamination of pyrogenic

Potassium (K)-rich feldspars are one of two mineral types typically used for optical dating. Feldspar grains can contain up to ~14 wt% K that gives rise to an internal dose rate component. This internal component can comprise a significant proportion of the total environmental dose rate to which a mineral grain is exposed. The environmental dose rate term—the denominator in the optical age equation—determines

The Golo River drains a steep catchment (average gradient of 30 m km−1, surface of 1214 km2) in the northeast part of Corsica Island, delivering sediments to the Ligurian Sea. In this study, we review and revise the geologic map and constrain the extent of the Golo coastal alluvial plain formations and their relative and absolute chronology. To update the surface extent of each formation, we performed

The continental accumulation of dust during the Quaternary led to the formation of widespread loess deposits in southern Tajikistan. In this area, the accumulation of loess is commonly associated with the occurrence of dust storms and the widespread distribution of loess provides evidence of dust storms becoming more frequent in arid Central Asia at least since the Early Pleistocene. Southern Tajikistan

Age distributions of speleothem growth frequency are often employed as proxies for past climate variation. However, their interpretation can be influenced by many variables such as the type of probability density estimator used, the number of samples studied, and indeed the nature of the sampling itself. In order to explore the utility of speleothem age distributions in this context, we constructed

To extend the range of materials that can be used to provide chronological constraint in archaeological and palaeontological settings, we explore the use of cave pearls that form in shallow pools. Here, we present U-series dating results of cave pearls found in cave sediments with mammal fossils collected from systematic excavations at the Diaozhongyan Cave (“DZY”), located in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous

A comparison of two different mechanical separation procedures, a settling process and sieving process, was performed in the samples preparation for radiocarbon dating of archaeological lime mortars from the Tower Keep at Irulegi Castle (Navarre, Spain). The different fractions obtained by the two different mechanical separation procedures were converted to carbon dioxide by sequential dissolution

The freshwater reservoir effect (FRE) was estimated for the northern part of West Siberia for the first time, based on securely dated samples from the late medieval town of Mangazeya existed mainly in AD 1601–1650. Twelve specimens of six species of freshwater fish were selected for 14C dating, and C and N stable isotopes analysis. The FRE varies from ca. 310 to ca. 1970 14C years, and there is no

The identification and correlation of a sequence of Pleistocene beach barriers located within the northern Coorong Coastal Plain, South Australia, is made difficult by long-term subsidence and extensive reworking. Associated shell beds, to all but the last interglacial barrier, are subsurface and not readily accessible. The whole-rock amino acid racemization method was found to be unsuitable for distinguishing

Lacustrine sediments provide an excellent opportunity to study climate change beyond the instrumental period and further to elucidate its intrinsic interactions with ecosystem. However, the radiocarbon (14C)-based chronological framework of such natural archives, on which robust interpretation of geochemical proxies primarily depends, is commonly challenged due to the difficulty in properly correcting

In optical dating, incomplete and heterogeneous resetting (“bleaching”) of the luminescence signal measured from mineral grains since the last episode of transport and deposition is commonly observed for sedimentary samples. As a result, different grains could have different equivalent dose (De) values at the time of deposition. For such samples, statistical treatment of the De distribution is required

To understand the salinity, redox characteristics, and climatology of Dali Lake during the late Holocene, we analysed trace element records from a high-resolution sediment core (DL-1), including Al, Mn, Zn, Mo, Pb, Fe, Sr, and Ba. The core was dated to 2100 cal BP based on accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C dating combined with the constant rate of supply (CRS) model. We identified five palaeoclimatic

The standardised growth curve (SGC) procedure is a technique that can facilitate rapid De estimation. In this study, we apply a least-squares (LS) normalisation procedure to single grains of quartz from multiple sites across Australia to test its applicability for establishing common SGCs for individual quartz grains from the same continent. Seventy-two samples from 18 sites were divided into two groups:

Luminescence dating is applied to sediments from Mwulu's Cave, whose lithics have been typologically considered Middle Stone Age (MSA) and have been previously assigned to what is called the Pietersburg industry. This industry is, however, poorly defined both chronologically and typologically. Luminescence methods were applied to both quartz and potassium feldspars by two different laboratories. Age

The 210Pb sediment dating is the most widely used method to determine recent (~100–150 years) chronologies and sediment accumulation rates in aquatic environments and has been used effectively for reconstruction of diverse environmental processes associated with global change. Owing to the relative accessibility of the 210Pb methodology, many environmental chronologies have been produced, but not always

A suite of 10 samples collected from an 11 m thick colluvial sequence at Voordrag, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, have been used to undertake a comparison of different luminescence methods. Good agreement is found between single grain quartz optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and single grain K-feldspar post-infrared infrared-stimulated luminescence (post-IR IRSL) ages, with the exception of the

Pre- or post-depositional heating of fossil biominerals will impact resulting amino acid dates, but the study on the effects on their amino acids of dry artificial heating of molluscs has not yet been fully tested. Here we report a study on three mollusc species to show how amino acid content can potentially be used to identify archaeological samples that have been subjected to artificial heating.

Basaltic lavas provide a window into their mantle sources and the associated geodynamic processes associated with them. Obtaining absolute chronology on young basalt flows is often challenging. Some gypsum crusts in pyro-duct (lava tube) caves crystallize during the last “cooling” stages of tube formation probably at relatively low temperatures (i.e., <100 °C). Here we propose uranium-series dating

Bayesian inference has been applied extensively to chronologies in archaeological science since it provides several advantages over the (classic) frequentist approach. One of the most important aspects of applying Bayesian methods is their capacity to consider the stratigraphic relationship between ages. In luminescence dating, a crucial motivation for applying Bayesian modelling is the ability to

We present a new 52 m composite record (COL17c) composed of five sedimentary sequences retrieved from the Colônia basin (Southeastern Brazil). The COL17c record is composed of two main sub-units deposited under different regimes: a peatland above ~14 m and lacustrine sediments below. Sedimentary description and core scanning (MSCL and XRF) are first used to align individual cores in order to produce

Coasts on active subduction zones are recurrently affected by great earthquakes and associated tsunamis. Deposits resulting from both tidal inundation after coseismic subsidence and from tsunamis can be radiocarbon dated to infer patterns of earthquake and tsunami recurrence. Yet, finding suitable plant material for radiocarbon dating is not always easy. Luminescence dating provides a more ubiquitously

A Cedrela odorata tree ring width chronology spanning from 1786 to 2016 was developed in the quasi-equatorial eastern Amazon Basin. Annual calendar dates were assigned using dendrochronological techniques at the Federal University of Lavras, Brazil. Due to its strategic location at the edge of the Equator (approximately 0°57′S), an independent confirmation of the annual periodicity of this century-long

Time-dependent changes in dose rates generally need to be considered in luminescence dating due to the dynamic character of the geosphere. Nevertheless, this aspect is rather marginally treated in the literature. The present paper describes the methodology of including temporal variations of overburden, moisture content and radionuclide activity into the calculation of dating results. Consideration

In situ cosmogenic nuclides are widely employed to quantify topographic and geomorphic landscape evolution. However, few studies are devoted to investigating possibly unsteady denudation. In this work the denudation rates of five surface bedrock and one depth profile are measured using in situ cosmogenic 36Cl in different climate zones in China; cosmogenic 36Cl is a powerful proxy for the surface denudation

Cosmogenic nuclides (CN) are widely used to determine both erosion rates E and exposure ages t of surfaces. However, in situations where both quantities are unknown, measuring a single CN at a surface is typically not sufficient to determine both t and E. We discuss the possibility of determining both t and E by measuring the CN pair, in-situ 10 Be and 14 C in quartz, at a surface. We use a previously