Assessing the completeness of optical resetting of quartz OSL in the natural environment

Resetting of previously accumulated optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) signals during transport of sediment is a fundamental requirement for reliable optical dating. The completeness of optical resetting of 46 modem-age quartz samples from a variety of depositional environments was examined. All equivalent dose (D-e) estimates were < 5 Gy, with the majority of aeolian samples < 0.1 Gy, and fluvial samples < 1 Gy. The OSL signal of quartz originates from several trap types with different rates of charge loss during illumination. As such, incomplete bleaching may be identifiable as an increase in D-e from easy-to-bleach through to hard-to-bleach components. For all modem fluvial samples with non-zero D-e values, SAR D-e(t) analysis and component-resolved linearly modulated OSL (LM OSL) De estimates showed this to be the case, implying incomplete resetting of previously accumulated charge. LM OSL measurements were also made to investigate the extent of bleaching of the slow components in the natural environment. In aeolian sediments examined, the natural LM OSL was effectively zero (i.e. all components were fully reset). The slow components of modem fluvial samples displayed measurable residual signals up to 15 Gy. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.