Investigation of sensitive signals due to gamma-ray irradiation of chemical precipitates. A feasibility study for ESR dating of gypsum, phosphate and calcrete deposits

Chen Yijian*, A. V. Arakel, Lu Jinfen

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    14 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In order to assess the application of ESR to dating of authigenic chemical precipitates (including gypsum, phosphate and calcrete deposits), a wide variety of samples of different age, purity, mineralogy and geographical distribution were utilized. Observations of a number of radiation-induced signals indicate that the accumulated dose (AD) derived from individual signals may vary by one or two orders of magnitude. Thus the selection of an "appropriate" signal of the ESR spectrum is critically important in ESR dating. For this reason, the first stage of our investigation involved the irradiation of selected samples by a 60Co γ-ray source, with a known absorbed dose (100 or 400 Gy), to check the reliability of AD values obtained from the routine method. The results enable us to select a suitable signal for dating. A comparison of ESR and 14C ages of duplicate pedogenic calcrete from late Pleistocene sediment indicates that a valid method for the assessments of annual dose rate is of paramount importance. Based on our current experience, ESR appears to be a feasible technique for dating chemical precipitates such as gypsum, phosphate and calcrete deposits.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1163-1170
    Number of pages8
    JournalInternational Journal of Radiation Applications and Instrumentation. Part
    Volume40
    Issue number10-12
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1989

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Investigation of sensitive signals due to gamma-ray irradiation of chemical precipitates. A feasibility study for ESR dating of gypsum, phosphate and calcrete deposits'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this