Luminescence dating of aeolian sands from archaeological sites in Northern Britain: a preliminary study

Abstract

Luminescence dating of aeolian sands from archaeological sites has potential to contribute to regional chronologies for sediment deposition and to provide a greater understanding of climatic influences on early communities. The Northern and Western Isles of Scotland provide important opportunities for sampling archaeologically intercalated sands for these purposes, and to provide constrained samples for method validation. A wide range of modern beaches have been sampled in the Western and Orkney Isles of Scotland to examine regional variations in luminescence sensitivity, residuals and ease of bleaching. These modern sands have negligible residuals for infra-red stimulated luminescence (IRSL), small optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) residuals and significant thermoluminescence residuals. The relationship between these signals and laboratory bleaching results may indicate the initial depositional environment, and hence lead to a means of identifying well-bleached dating samples. Both sensitivities and residuals show regional differences, reflecting local geology. Preliminary ages obtained from aeolian sands associated with archaeological sites at Amble (Northumbria) and Tofts Ness (Sanday, Orkney) using regenerative blue OSL techniques on extracted quartz are broadly consistent with external age controls from the first and third millennium BC.