Thermoluminescence dating: pre-historic bricks to sand blows of Kachchh, Gujarat

This paper reports the TL ages of sand blows induced by historic/pre-historic earthquakes of Kachchh, Gujarat, a place notoriously famous for its killer earthquakes of 26 Jan 2001. TL ages of some ancient potteries of the area are also reported in the work. Based on the present TL ages as well as those reported in literature it is inferred that the place probably has experienced large earthquake M > 6 around 3000 and 5000 years back. There are evidence of similar earthquake 1500 ± 200 years back as well. Based on these dates of earthquake and related tectonic events it is argued that luminescence workers have great opportunity in estimating the recurrence of large earthquakes in seismic prove zone. This provides a new dimension to applications of luminescence dating in Seismic Hazard Evaluation a field of importance for planners and society as a whole. (author)