The Potential Use of Osl Properties of Quartz in Investigating Fluvial Processes on the Catchment of River Mureş, Romania

Abstract

To understand the functioning of fluvial systems it is important to investigate dynamics of sediment transport and the source of sediments. In case of reconstructing past processes these studies must be accompanied by the numerical dating of sediment samples. In this respect optically stimulated luminescence is a widely used technique, by which the time of sediment deposition can be directly dated. Recently, in various fluvial environments it has been shown that certain luminescence properties of minerals, and especially that of quartz, can be applied as indicators of fluvial erosion and/or sediment provenance. These properties are residual luminescence (or residual dose) and luminescence sensitivity of quartz grains. However, the values of the parameters above are affected by various factors, the importance of which is under debate. The present study therefore aims to assess these factors along a ~560 km long reach of River Mureş (Maros) a relatively large river with a compound surface lithology on its catchment. The research focused on the sandy fraction of modern sediments, collected from the main river and from three tributaries alike. This way not only longitudinal downstream changes, but the influence of tributaries could also be studied. Based on the data, both investigated parameters show a great variation, which can be attributed to the lithological differences of subcatchments and geomorphological drivers, such as erosional activity and potential number of sedimentary cycles, and human activity. However, relationships are not entirely clear and are influenced by the maximum grain size of the samples investigated, and the recycling of previously laid deposits with different properties. Still, when performing detailed dating studies, and tracing sediments from certain parts of the catchment luminescence properties can be a useful tool in the future.

Temporal Relationship of Increased Palaeodischarges and Late Glacial Deglaciation Phases on the Catchment of River Maros/Mureş, Central Europe

“…4) investigated by Bartyik et al (2021a). The detailed comparison of the CW-OSL and TL 110°C peak sensitivities of the Csomorkány quartz with the results of the Carpathian Basin fluvial samples (Bartyik et al, 2021a), reflects that the CSOM1 section samples represent a transitional sensitivity level (Fig. 4).…”

“…After plotting the two sensitivity parameters against each other it became possible to compare quartz sensitivities to previous data obtained from other sediments related either to the Maros/Mureş, Tisza or Danube Rivers (Fig. 4) investigated by Bartyik et al (2021a). The detailed comparison of the CW-OSL and TL 110°C peak sensitivities of the Csomorkány quartz with the results of the Carpathian Basin fluvial samples (Bartyik et al, 2021a), reflects that the CSOM1 section samples represent a transitional sensitivity level (Fig.…”

“…It is also clear that the CSOM1 samples have considerably lower CW-OSL values compared to the mean of all other Maros/Mureş sediments (175±10(67) cts/mg/Gy) from other palaeochannels on the alluvial fan (Bartyik et al, 2021a;Fig. 4).…”

“…Although, the method is primarily used for dating, there is a number of additional information provided by luminescence measurements that can help to refine geomorphological reconstruction. One of these is measuring the OSL response to unit radioactive dose, by which the so called luminescence sensitivity, a parameter largely dependent on the petrological background and the sedimentation history of grains (Sawakuchi et al, 2018, Bartyik et al, 2021a, of the investigated mineral extract (this time quartz) can be assessed (Gray et al, 2019).…”

“…The luminescence sensitivity of samples was assessed using both OSL and TL (thermoluminescence) responses for the same dose. Measurements and evaluation followed the steps of Nian et al (2019) and Bartyik et al (2021a). The previously bleached samples were irradiated with a uniform dose of 24 Gy.…”