Simulation of the effects of the dose rate and temperature on zircon thermoluminescence

Abstract

After exposure to ionizing irradiation, mineral zircon exhibits thermoluminescence (TL), which can be used to calculate the irradiation dose and the age of natural samples. Different aspects of the dating procedure based on zircon TL, including laboratory added irradiation at room and elevated temperatures, fading and preheat processes, have been considered within the framework of the kinetic model developed by our group earlier. It is shown that dose rate effects arising due to the difference between natural and laboratory irradiation can be removed by a suitable preheat treatment of the laboratory irradiated samples prior to the TL measurements. We demonstrate that the TL behaviour of zircon which has been irradiated under natural conditions can be reproduced by means of laboratory irradiation at some elevated temperature. This opens a promising possibility of (i) getting rid of dose rate effects and anomalous fading and (ii) reconstructing the dose dependence of the total TL signal emitted by samples irradiated under natural conditions. The model has been checked by simulating the dating procedures used for our coastal dune sand samples from Ameland (NL), the age of which is known from historical records; the results agree well with the available experimental data. The results of this investigation demonstrate the utility of the kinetic model for planning dating experiments and for development of new and innovative TL dating methods.

Thermoluminescence of zircon: a kinetic model

“…A comprehensive consideration of the scenarios associated with the dating methodology, based on the zircon TL, will be published elsewhere 4 [21].…”

Attaining provenance proxies from OSL and TL sensitivities: Coupling with grain size and heavy minerals data from southern Brazilian coastal sediments

“…Several studies have shown (e.g. Turkin et al, 2005) that zircon exhibits OSL and TL glow peaks located between 50 C and 200 C due to recombination of trapped holes and electrons released from shallow traps. Zircon is the main transparent heavy mineral in our samples and these peaks might eventually affect the results of the OSL and TL sensitivities of bulk samples.…”

Spectra luminescence characterization of metamictization in a Brazilian zircon megacryst

“…The oxygen vacancies can be considered as the origin of the very common 340 nm band in silicates describing the process as a result of Si-O bond breakings during mechanical or thermal stress in the silicate lattices (Garcia-Guinea et al, 2007a, b). The band at 400 nm can be due to [AlO 4 /M + ] 0 centers; the sharp emission at 480 and 580 nm can be, respectively, linked to Dy 3+ impurities in Zr holes (Turkin et al, 2005); the bands peaked at 560 and 750 nm could be assigned to Mn 2+ point defects and Fe 3+ centers (Telfer and Walker, 1975). Finally, the 980 nm sharp waveband could be explained due to Yb 3+ centers (Gorobets and Rogojine, 2002).…”