Project 1st Phase
OSL-Dating: Constraining the Pleistocene environmental history of the Atacama: Extending the age range of luminescence dating
Research areas: Physical Geography
Principal investigators: Dr. Georgina King, Prof. Dr. Helmut Brückner
Project info: 1st Phase
OSL dating will be used on the new 40 m core from PAG. |
Understanding Quaternary climatic and environmental change is dependent upon a robust chronology of earth surface and/or environmental evolution. A primary objective of this CRC is to understand how the timing of humid phases relates to the activity of earth surface and biological processes from the present day to the Cenozoic. The landscape of the Atacama is dominated by clastic deposits, which means that luminescence dating is widely applicable.
The upper limit of luminescence dating is typically ~0.2-0.4 Ma because of signal saturation, but there is potential to extend the age range of this technique, which is the key objective of this sub-project. Luminescence dating is spatially versatile in terms of applicability, and can span the temporal gap between other geochronometers, e.g. radiocarbon dating (Z04) of organic material provides ages younger than ~50 ka whereas 10Be/21Ne cosmogenic nuclide dating of sediments can provide ages in excess of ~0.5 Ma (D01).
Abundant tephra provides independent age control for OSL ages. |
This CRC offers a manifold of independent age cross-checks - e.g. from cosmogenic nuclide (D01), U-series disequilibrium (D02) and radiocarbon dating (Z04), palaeomagnetism and tephrochronology (A02), which will facilitate the development of a strong geochronological framework, within which extending the age range of luminescence dating can be explored.
Successfully extending the dating range of this technique will enable exploration of environmental changes during the late-mid Pleistocene, which remain poorly constrained in the Atacama.
Specifically this sub-project will explore the extension of the upper age limit of luminescence dating from ~0.2-0.4 Ma towards ~1 Ma.
Former members:
- Prof. Dr. Helmut Brückner (Principal Investigator)
- Dr. Georgina King (Principal Investigator)
- Dr. Dominik Brill (Scientist)
- Dr. Alicia Medialdea Utande (Scientist)
- Dr. Anja Zander (Scientist)
- Susan Herb (PhD Student)
Data
Project D5 - Research Data
Brill, D., 2021.
Ln/Tn data for IRSL rock surface dating of marine cobbles.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.42.
Wennrich, V., Medialdea, A., May, M., Brill, D., King, G., 2019.
Geochemical analysis of tephra layers T1-T6 from Salar Grande, Atacama.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.31.
Kuiper, K., Medialdea, A., May, M., Brill, D., King, G., Wennrich, V., 2019.
Analytical data of Ar/Ar sanidine dating of tephra SALAR T6.
CRC1211 Database (CRC1211DB). DOI: 10.5880/CRC1211DB.30.