Advances in Earth Science ›› 2018, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (1): 93-102. doi: 10.11867/j.issn.1001-8166.2018.01.0093

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Advances and Issues in Luminescence Dating of Loess Deposits in Arid Central Asia

Leibin Wang 1( ), Haitao Wei 1, Jia Jia 1, Guoqiang Li 1, Fahu Chen 1, 2, *( )   

  1. 1.Key Laboratory of West China’s Environmental System, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
    2.CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
  • Received:2017-07-18 Revised:2017-12-13 Online:2018-01-10 Published:2018-03-06
  • Contact: Fahu Chen E-mail:wanglb15@lzu.edu.cn;fhchen@itpcas.ac.cn
  • About author:

    First author:Wang Leibin(1989-), female, Lingqiu County, Shanxi Province,Ph. D student. Research areas include optical dating.E-mail:wanglb15@lzu.edu.cn

  • Supported by:
    Project supported by the International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences “CAS Special Project on International Cooperation along the Belt and Road Initiative”(No.131C11KYSB20160061);The Consulting Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences “The strategic research on the environmental changes of Eurasian hinterland and the prosperity and decline of the Silk Road civilization”(No.2017ZWH006A-018)

Leibin Wang, Haitao Wei, Jia Jia, Guoqiang Li, Fahu Chen. Advances and Issues in Luminescence Dating of Loess Deposits in Arid Central Asia[J]. Advances in Earth Science, 2018, 33(1): 93-102.

High-resolution loess deposits are widely distributed in Arid Central Asia (ACA) and provide important records associated with dust transportation, paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic evolution. The chronology is the foundation of the research into loess deposits as an environmental archive. In recent decades, the gradually developed optical dating method has been increasingly matured and become an important approach to establishing the loess-paleosol sequences. Here, we summarized and discussed previous work on loess chronology mainly based on optical dating approach in ACA. The following understandings have been listed: ① In comparison with optical dating method, the suitable material for 14C dating is uncommon in ACA. However, the dating range of luminescence dating is more extensive, and the dating materials are accessible. Thus, the optical dating is widely applicable in the establishment of loess framework in this area. ② Until now, the quartz Single Aliquot Regeneration (SAR) method can be applied to the establishment of loess-paleosol sequence since last glacial period. But several issues remain unaddressed. For example, the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) signal sensitivity of quartz grains are low in some areas. Furthermore, the results of OSL dating of different grain sizes within a single sample are inconsistent in some areas. The solution of these problems still requires more methodological research. ③ The post-IR IRSL (pIRIR) and multiple elevated temperature stimulation (MET-pIRIR) protoCols of feldspar have basically overcome the anomalous fading issue in the traditional IRSL dating process. In ACA, the framework since MIS 7 can be established with K-feldspar luminescence dating method. Compared with quartz luminescence characteristics, the K-feldspar luminescence signals are more sensitive and exhibit a high saturation level. In specific applications, it is necessary to establish the age frame according to the luminescence sensitivity, the age of samples or other factors.

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