Light-induced emission spectra from some quartz and feldspars

Abstract

Some luminescence spectra in the range 300–600 nm relevant to optical dating are reported. Quartz grains separated from the south-east South Australian dune sequence gave a single emission band at 365 nm with a width of 60 nm, quite different from the ≈350°C thermoluminescence (TL) spectra of the same material. Feldspars generally gave emission bands at 330, 400 and 570 nm, the 400 nm band being particularly strong for K feldspars and 570 nm band being strongest for Na-rich plagioclase feldspars, similar to their ≈300°C TL spectra.