Violet stimulated luminescence as an alternative for dating complex colluvial sediments in the Atacama Desert

• Published in: Quaternary geochronology Vol. 71; p. 101337
• Main Authors: Medialdea, Alicia, Brill, Dominik, King, Georgina E., Zander, Anja, Lopez-Ramirez, Maria Rosa, Bartz, Melanie, Brückner, Helmut
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-08-2022
• Subjects: Atacama desert; Extended age range; Saturated quartz OSL; Violet stimulated luminescence; VSL; Extended age range; Violet stimulated luminescence; Saturated quartz OSL; VSL; Atacama desert
• ISSN: 1871-1014; 1878-0350
• DOI: 10.1016/j.quageo.2022.101337

Luminescence dating has become a key tool in studies of the Quaternary. The typically stable luminescence response of quartz grains and the absence of a significant internal dose, make quartz minerals the preferred dosimeter for monitoring the burial dose in sediments. Unfortunately, the reliability of conventional OSL (optically stimulated luminescence) dating, based on blue stimulation, can be compromised when the luminescence decay is not dominated by a rapidly decaying and stable part of the luminescence signal (i.e. the fast component). On the other hand, standard methods in luminescence dating are limited to ages of a few hundred kiloyears. In this study, violet stimulated luminescence (VSL) has been used as a means to overcome both problems, applied to a series of colluvial deposits in the Atacama Desert, Chile. Quartz from this region, characterized by poor blue-OSL response, showed a reproducible and stable VSL signal capable of recovering given doses up to ∼500 Gy and a saturation dose twice as high as conventional OSL. The VSL response from these samples has been studied in detail and the estimated ages have been compared with an already established chronology for the same site, based on IRSL of potassium feldspar single grains. Results agree for the dose range of the profile studied, ∼100–250 Gy, equivalent to ages of 29–79 ka confirming the suitability of VSL for dating sedimentary quartz with unreliable blue-OSL response and to extend the age range of conventional OSL dating.
•VSL from sedimentary quartz with unstable BSL from Atacama is stable and reliable for dating.•VSL shows the potential to extend the age range covered by the technique but further investigation is needed beyond 2.7 kGy.•There are discrepancies between single aliquot and multi-aliquot measurement protocols beyond 2.7 kGy.•SAR protocol is suitable for estimating VSL doses up to 370 Gy and extends the age range covered beyond pIR-IRSL225.•Agreement is reached between quart VSL and felspar pIR-IRSL225 for the age range 29–79 ka.