Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T19:13:59.307Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Thermoluminescence and Excess 226Ra Decay Dating of Late Quaternary Fluvial Sands, East Alligator River, Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Andrew Murray ,
Ellen Wohl  and
Jon East
Andrew Murray
Affiliation:
Alligator Rivers Region Research Institute, Jabiru East, NT 0886, Australia
Ellen Wohl
Affiliation:
Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA
Jon East
Affiliation:
Alligator Rivers Region Research Institute, Jabiru East, NT 0886, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Thermoluminescence (TL) dating was applied to seven samples of siliceous fluvial sands from the East Alligator River of Northern Australia, giving ages ranging from modern to 6000 yr B.P. Two methods of estimating the equivalent dose (ED), total bleach and regenerative, were applied to the 90- to 125-μm quartz fraction of the samples in order to determine the reliability and internal consistency of the technique. High-resolution γ and α spectroscopy were used to measure radionuclide contents; these measurements revealed an excess 226Ra activity compared with 230Th. This excess decreased with depth, and was used directly to derive mean sedimentation rates, and thus sediment ages. Both this method and one 14C date confirmed the validity of the TL values, which increased systematically with depth and were consistent with site stratigraphy. TL was of limited use in the dating of these late Holocene deposits because of age uncertainties of 500 to 1600 yr, resulting from a significant residual ED. This residual probably resulted from incomplete bleaching during reworking upstream of the sampling site. For Pleistocene deposits, the residual ED will be less significant because of higher total EDs, and TL dates will be correspondingly more accurate.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , January 1992 , pp. 29 - 41
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baker, V.R. Kochel, R.C. Patton, P.C., (1979). Long-term flood frequency analysis using geological data IAHS-AISH Publication 128, 3–9 Google Scholar
Baker, V.R. Pickup, G. Polach, H.A., (1983). Desert paleofloods in central Australia Nature 301, 502–504 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gardner, G.J. Mortlock, A.J. Price, D.M. Readhead, M.L. Wasson, R.J., (1987). Thermoluminescence and radiocarbon dating of Australian desert dunes Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 34, 343–357 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huntley, D.J. Hutton, J.T. Prescott, J.R., (1985). South Australian sand dunes: A TL sediment test sequence. Preliminary results Nuclear Tracks 10, 4–6 757–758 Google Scholar
Ivanovich, M. Harmon, R.S., (1982). Uranium Series Disequilibrium: Applications to Environmental Problems Oxford Univ. Press London Google Scholar
Johnston, A. Murray, A.S. Marten, R. Martin, P., (1988). The Transport and Deposition of Radionuclides Discharged into Creek Waters from the Ranger Uranium Mine Radiation Protection practice, 11, Seventh Annual Congress of the International Radiation Protection Association Pergamon Press New York 652–655 Google Scholar
Johnston, A. Murray, A.S. Wasson, R.J., (1990). Determination of sediment sources and sinks using U and Th series radionuclides Wasson, R.J. Modern Sedimentation and Late Quaternary Evolution of the Magela Creek Plain In press Google Scholar
Martin, P. Hancock, G., (1987). Radionuclide analytical technique development Alligator Rivers Region Research Institute Annual Research Summary 1986–1987 AGPS Canberra 78–83 Google Scholar
Mejdahl, V., (1979). Thermoluminescence dating: Beta-dose attenuation in quartz grains Archaeometry 21, 61–72 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, A.S., (1981). Environmental Radioactivity Studies Relevant to Thermoluminescence Dating Unpublished Ph.D. thesis Oxford University Google Scholar
Murray, A.S. Johnston, A. Marten, R. Martin, P., (1987). Analysis for naturally occurring radionuclides at environmental levels by gamma spectrometry Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry 115, 263–288 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, A.S. Aitken, M.J., (1988). Analysis of low-level natural radioactivity in small mineral samples for use in thermoluminescence dating, using high-resolution gamma spectrometry. International Journal of Applied Radiation and Isotopes 39, 145–158 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, A.S. Caitcheon, G. Olley, J.M. Crockford, H., (1990). Methods for determining the sources of sediments reaching reservoirs: Targeting soil conservation Proc. of “1989 Conference on Large Dams” Ballarat, Australian National Committee for Large Dams, ANCOLD Bulletin Vol. 85, 61–70 Google Scholar
Nanson, G.C. Young, R.W., (1987). Comparison of thermoluminescence and radiocarbon age-determination from Late-Pleistocene alluvial deposits near Sydney, Australia Quaternary Research 27, 263–269 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nanson, G.C. East, T.J. Roberts, R.G. Clark, R.L. Murray, A.S., (1990). Quaternary evolution and landform stability of the Magela Creek catchment near the Ranger Uranium Mine, Northern Australia The Supervising Scientist for the Alligator Rivers Region, OFR 63 Sydney Google Scholar
Prescott, J.R., (1983). Thermoluminescence dating of sand dunes at Roonka, South Australia PACT 9, 505–512 Google Scholar
Prescott, J.R. Hutton, J.T., (1988). Cosmic-ray and gamma-ray dosimetry for TL and electronspin-resonance Nuclear Tracks and Radiation Measurement 14, 223–227 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Proszynska, H., (1983). TL dating of some sub-aerial sediments from Poland PACT 9, 539–546 Google Scholar
Rendell, H.M., (1985). The precision of water content estimates in the thermoluminescence dating of loess from northern Pakistan Nuclear Tracks 10, 763–768 Google Scholar
Roberts, R.G. Jones, R. Smith, M., (1990). Thermoluminescence dating of a 50,000-year-old human occupation site in northern Australia Nature 345, 153–156 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Scott, M.R., (1982). The chemistry of U and Th series nuclides in rivers Ivanovich, M. Harmon, R.S. Uranium Series Disequilibrium: Applications to Environmental Problems Oxford Univ. Press London Google Scholar
Singhvi, A.K. Sharma, Y.P. Agrawal, D.P., (1982). Thermoluminescence dating of sand dunes in Rajasthan, India Nature 295, 313–315 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thom, B.G., (1978). Coastal sand deposition in Southeast Australia during the Holocene Davies, J.L. Williams, M.A.J. Landform Evolution in Australasia ANU Press Canberra 197–214 Google Scholar
Wasson, R.J., (1990). Modern sedimentation and late Quaternary evolution of the Magela Creek plain The Supervising Scientist for the Alligator Rivers Region Sydney, in press Google Scholar
Wintle, A.G., (1978). Anomalous fading PACT 2, 1 240–244 Google Scholar
Woodroffe, C.D. Chappell, J.M.A. Thom, B.G. Wallensky, E., (1986). Geomorphological Dynamics and Evolution of the South Alligator Tidal River and Plains, Northern Territory North Australia Research Unit Mangrove Monograph No. 3 Google Scholar
Wopfner, H. Twidale, C.R., (1971). Geomorphological history of the Lake Eyre Basin Jennings, J.N. Mabbutt, J.A. Landform Studies from Australia and New Guinea ANU Press Canberra 119–143 Google Scholar