Development of a spatially resolved dating technique using HR-OSL

Analogous to the OSL dating of sediments, it should be possible to determine the point in time at which the bleached surface of a stony object became ultimately shielded from light. This would enable us to date various archaeological and geological events, such as the construction and destruction of stone buildings, the burial of stone artefacts and the sedimentary deposition of boulders. Most natural materials show significant grain-to-grain variability of luminescence and dose-rate characteristics. If inadequate averaging is applied, incorrect ages may result. This is usually circumvented by mineral and grain-size fractioning. The latter is not, however, feasible for stone surfaces. A spatially resolved dating technique has been developed encompassing laboratory processing of stone samples, two devices for high-resolution spatial recording of OSL (HR-OSL), a software program for data evaluation, and dose-rate modelling at grain-size level. Beside the application to stone surfaces, HR-OSL can contribute to the fundamentals of luminescence dating and lead to novel applications