LOESS: THE LUMINESCENCE CHRONOLOGIST’S BEST FRIEND?

Loess deposits were the first terrestrial sediments to which luminescence dating was systematically applied, and have played an important role in the further testing and development of luminescence methods since those early days of the 1980’s (Roberts, 2008). Advances in luminescence equipment, technical capabilities, methods, knowledge and scientific understanding, have each contributed to the evolution of luminescence research over time. Developments over the last 25 years in particular have brought about a revolution in both the accuracy and the precision of luminescence dating. Indeed, luminescence techniques have developed so much that today the term ‘luminescence dating’ encompasses a family of dating techniques that can be applied, each with different strengths in different archaeological, geomorphological, palaeoenvironmental or palaeoclimatic settings.

In this presentation, I will outline the development of some of these key innovations in luminescence dating that were achieved through the study of loess deposits. I will also touch upon some of the applications of those newly developed luminescence methods which led to an improved understanding of the loess records themselves, and finish with a look to potential future challenges that might be addressed by a combination of luminescence and loess research. As will be explained, Dan Muhs has played a key role in enabling some of these developments in luminescence research, and both his research and the samples we have collected together over the years, continue to be an ongoing source of inspiration and development.

References

Roberts, HM (2008). The development and application of luminescence dating to loess deposits: a perspective on the past, present and future. Boreas, Vol. 37, pp. 483–507.