Quartz sample pretreatments for TL/OSL dating: studies of TL emission spectra

Spectra of natural thermoluminescence (TL) from quartz fractions of samples from aeolian sand-ramps in the Mojave Desert, California, are used to examine problems concerning sample pretreatments, particularly HF etching, and subsequent choice of broad-band filters for TL dating. The data show that a 40-min etch in concentrated HF is insufficient to remove all contaminant grains. Preliminary results appear to indicate that radical differences in TL spectra do not necessarily imply radical differences in TL equivalent dose (ED), estimated using either ultraviolet or blue emissions via broad-band filters, nor does etching time alter OSL EDs for some of the samples considered here. (author)