Luminescence dating of periods of sand movement from the Gödöllő Hills, Hungary

Abstract

A sand dune intercalated by soil horizons was investigated using luminescence and radiocarbon dating methods, to determine the time of aeolian activity and soil formation in the north-eastern part of the Gödöllő Hills in Hungary. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating and Infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating of sand sized (100–200 µm) grains of quartz and feldspar, respectively, were tested in the present study. The luminescence properties of quartz were not suitable for OSL dating. Hence, IRSL dating of feldspar grains was applied to all samples with subsequent correction for anomalous fading. Two periods of increased aeolian activity were identified in the sediment succession at Tura. The sediments of the lower part of the profile accumulated during the end of the Late Pleniglacial and through the Late-Glacial, when climatic variations caused the alternation of sand and soil horizons in the region. The sand and soil layers of the upper part of the sediment succession were deposited and formed during the Subatlantic phase of the Holocene, when sand mobility was probably mainly triggered by human activities.