Is X‐ray core scanning non‐destructive? Assessing the implications for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments

Abstract

Davids, F., Roberts, H. M., Duller, G. A. T. (2009) Is X-ray core scanning non-destructive? Assessing the implications for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments. Journal of Quaternary Science, 25 (3), pp. 348-353Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is widely used to date clastic deposits, including those collected by coring. X-ray scanning of cores has become popular because of the rapidly acquired, high-resolution information it gives about optical, radiographic and elemental variations. Additionally, X-ray scanning is widely viewed as a non-destructive method. However, such instruments use an intense X-ray beam that irradiates the split core to enable both X-radiographic and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis. This irradiation will influence the optically stimulated luminescence signal in the sediments. This study determines the radiation dose delivered to sediments in a core during an X-ray scan, and assesses the implications for studies wishing to combine X-ray scanning and OSL dating.Peer reviewe

The potential power and pitfalls of using the X-ray fluorescence molybdenum incoherent: Coherent scattering ratio as a proxy for sediment organic content

“…X-ray fluorescence (XRF) core scanners such as the Itrax (Croudace et al, 2006) have the potential to provide rapid, high resolution (< 1mm) measurements of sediment organic content. This method is also non-destructive as far as most sediment properties are concerned (Davids et al, 2009). There are two main proxies that are commonly used for sediment organic content from XRF core scanners; bromine (Ziegler et al 2008) and the molybdenum incoherent: coherent scattering ratio (Liu et al, 2013;Sáez et al, 2009;Chawchai et al, 2016).…”

Non‐Destructive or Noninvasive? The Potential Effect of X‐Ray Fluorescence Spectrometers on Luminescence Age Estimates of Archaeological Samples

“…Induced luminescence could be significant in the context of chemostratigraphic studies that have long used conventional laboratory-based XRF (Marwick, 2005), including high-powered core scanners (e.g., Davids, Roberts, & Duller, 2010), and are beginning to apply pXRF in the field directly to archaeological strata (Davis, Macfarlane, & Henrickson, 2012). Were samples for luminescence dating (both OSL and TL) to be taken from archaeological strata in conjunction with, or immediately following in situ XRF, it is conceivable that sediments with artificially induced doses could be incorporated.…”

“…The penetration depth depends on the energy of the incident radiation, as well as sample composition. For example, the Kα radiation produced from an Rh anode tube would penetrate 4500 μm or deeper (e.g., Davids, Roberts, & Duller, ) in quartz. Importantly, this is the region where surface luminescence applications measure luminescence dose (Sanderson, Warren, & Hunter, ; Baliff & Holland, : 615; Habermann et al., : 850; Vieillevigne et al., : 993–994).…”

“…X‐ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry is a useful and important tool in archaeological science. It is frequently used to investigate the elemental composition of archaeological materials such as ochre (Huntley et al., ; Popelka‐Filcoff et al., ), pottery (Aloupi, Karydas, & Paradellis, ; Leung & Luo, ; Speakman et al., ), and stone technologies (Craig et al., ; Williams‐Thorpe, Potts, & Jones, ) and has applications such as material characterization (Heginbotham et al., ; Huntley, ), provenance investigations (Glascock, ), understanding the chemostratigraphy of excavated or cored sediments (Davids, Roberts, & Duller, ; Davis, Macfarlane, & Henrickson, ), archaeological site prospection (Hayes, ), and authentication of artifacts (Gebremariam, Kvittingen, & Banica, ; Galli & Bonizzoni, ). XRF spectrometry uses X‐rays to stimulate, identify, and quantify elements in a specimen.…”

Atomic spectrometry update-X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

“…A range of other studies have incorporated XRF core scanning, exemplified by high resolution Ti determinations in a laminated lake sediment from Laguna de Juanacatlan, Mexico; the variability of climate over the last two Millennia in the North American monsoon region; 188 the basin stratigraphy from a coastal lake in the Lofoten Islands, Norway to evaluate the impact of sea-level change; 189 changes in status of the Les Echets, France sedimentary sequence, linked to climate change over the last 40 ka in which XRF core scanning provided multielement major and trace element data 190 and the 20th century impact on sediments of the Haverstraw Bay section of the Hudson River Estuary. 191 Although XRF is widely used for core scanning, Davids et al 192 expressed a word of caution in respect of its non-destructive capabilities. In particular, laboratories that use optically stimulated luminescence to date clastic deposits should be aware that the radiation dose imparted during XRF (or X-ray radiography) studies will affect the luminescence signal, a discrepancy investigated by these authors.…”