Dosimetric properties of natural quartz grains extracted from fired materials

The paper describes an examination of the dosimetric properties of natural quartz grains extracted from ancient fired materials. Eleven samples of different origin were tested for their TL and GLSL (green light stimulated luminescence) sensitivities within the mGy dose range. Very promising results were obtained showing the possibility of measuring the doses of around 10 mGy with 1% precision using GLSL or TL and using the single aliquot technique for natural quartz as a dosimeter. The lowest detectable dose was estimated to be lower than 500 μGy. The results obtained indicate that natural quartz grains from selected materials could be used for the dosimetry of environmental gamma radiation for the purposes of paleodosimetric dating methods as well as for accident dosimetry. (Author)