Abstract
We report here a new application of thermoluminescence (TL) for dating sand dunes. This application assumes that exposure to sunlight causes bleaching of the geological TL of a sediment to a residual value and that TL accumulation starts again when the sediment is buried under fresh deposit and is thus shielded from the Sun. Although the TL method has been applied to loess1,2 and ocean sediments3,4, the application of this technique to sand dunes provides the first reliable dating control for dune dynamics, palaeoclimatology and spread of deserts.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
196,21 € per year
only 3,85 € per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Shelkoplyas, V. N. in Chronology of the Glacial Age (eds Zubakov, V. A. & Kochegura, V. V.) 155–160 (Geographical Society USSR, Leningrad, 1971).
Wintle, A. G. Nature 289, 479–480 (1981).
Wintle, A. G. & Huntley, D. J. Nature 279, 710–712 (1979).
Wintle, A. G. & Huntley, D. J. Can. J. Earth Sci. 17, 348–360 (1980).
Zimmerman, D. W. Archaeometry 13, 29–52 (1971).
Agrawal, D. P., Bhandari, N., Lal, B. B. & Singhvi, A. K. Proc. Ind. Acad. Sci. (E) 90, 161–172 (1981).
Wotan Sunlamp (Osram Gesellschaft, Berlin).
Gupta, J. P. J. Hydrol. 41, 153–156 (1979).
Aitken, M. J. Physics and Archaeology 2nd edn (Oxford University Press, London, 1974).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Singhvi, A., Sharma, Y. & Agrawal, D. Thermoluminescence dating of sand dunes in Rajasthan, India. Nature 295, 313–315 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/295313a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/295313a0