LUMINESCENCE DATING ON THE ATLANTIC COASTAL PLAIN OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES

Single-grain optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL) has been applied to a number of sandy sedimentological and archaeological sequences along the Atlantic coastal plain in the southeastern United States. Here, we synthesize these data, including analyses from the past year, to inform on timing of depositional events, archaeological site formation, and landform reconstruction. Particular emphasis is given to interpreting equivalent dose distributions in the face of mixing from bioturbation and to related complexities in luminescence dating of these kinds of sediments. Our results suggest episodic depositional periods leading to a series of stable surfaces and subsequent mixing of archaeological deposits. The depositional periods may correspond to regional climatic changes.