Dating volcanic and related sediments by luminescence methods: a review

Applications of luminescence dating of geological materials have undergone extensive development and refinement since 1974 when Wintle first attempted to date volcanic lava using thermoluminescence (TL). Today, luminescence techniques are potentially highly useful methods for dating volcanic and related materials and events over timescales ranging from 102 to 106 years. While luminescence approaches generally do not possess the precision afforded by techniques such as 40Ar/39Ar and 14C methods, they offer a useful alternative approach with advantages in terms of age range and scope of material. Although the application of luminescence methods has in some cases been successfully described, a comprehensive study outlining and defining protocols for routine luminescence dating of volcanic materials has not been forthcoming. This review surveys previous attempts to develop luminescence techniques to date volcanic products and discusses the state of knowledge of the luminescence behaviour of the four principal materials currently used for luminescence dating of volcanic events. Particular attention is paid to the red luminescence emissions, primarily because of previous successes in using Red Thermoluminescence (RTL) of quartz and feldspar for dating volcanic products, for which the upper age limit may extend beyond a million years. Proposals are made for future research directions; these include: technological developments in the measurement of optically stimulated red luminescence, the systematic characterization of RTL and optically stimulated red luminescence as key luminescence parameters in volcanic quartz, feldspar, glass and polymineral sample fractions, and optimization of luminescence dating methods to define a comprehensive protocol for routine dating of volcanic materials.