Recent results on the thermoluminescence properties of diaspore

The presence of hydrated diaspore (alpha-AlOOH) on the Martian surface allows us to speculate that this material could act as: alpha-Al2O3 precursor and water source. In this study, new analytical data on the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of natural diaspore from Goian (Pontevedra, Spain) in the UV-blue spectral region are reported. The results indicate that it could be also used as a dosimeter for dating purposes, since it possesses an acceptable sensitivity to radiation, reproducibility, linear dose response in the studied range (up to 100 Gy), and a high stability of the relative TL emission after six months of storage. Some physical trapping parameters for each irradiated curve ( trap depth, pre-exponential factor, intensity and peak position) are estimated assuming first order kinetics for the 180degreesC TL peak.