Luminescence dating of recent dunes on Inch Spit, Dingle Bay, southwest Ireland

Abstract

Fifteen samples of dune sand, and three samples from a core taken in the beach face, were collected from a sand spit which protrudes into Dingle Bay in Southwest Ireland. The potassium-rich feldspar grains from the samples were dated using a single aliquot luminescence protocol for infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signals. No ages over 600 years were obtained, which demonstrates the youth of the dune forms currently observed. The youngest ages were about 150 years old, but for these samples the scatter in the equivalent dose obtained as the mean of 18 measurements was higher than for the older samples.