Luminescence dating of sand from the Kelso Dunes, California

Abstract

Abstract A relatively new luminescence dating technique, infra-red stimulated luminescence (IRSL), has been used to date dune sand from the Kelso Dunes, eastern Mojave Desert, California. This is the first time the technique has been applied to desert aeolian sands. The IRSL technique measures the time since sediment grains were last exposed to light, by sampling a highly light-sensitive signal which reduces rapidly to a negligible level when so exposed. The technique can be used to date very young samples. Of the ten samples dated, the surface sample gave an age of 40 ± 17 years, while subsurface samples gave high-precision middle and late Holocene dates. These results, obtained from the upper 8 m of the sand mass, indicate significant aeolian activity during the later part of the Holocene. Clustering of IRSL ages from the data so far available suggests that the aeolian activity may have been episodic.