Luminescence dating of tephra from paleolithic sites in Japan (from 10 ka to 500 ka)

Quartz and feldspar minerals extracted from tephras were used for thermoluminescence (TL) dating of the paleolithic sites which are located in northeast Japan. Six narrow band optical filters from 415 nm to 630 nm and a broad band filter were used for TL measurements to confirm the dose dependence of luminescence with different wavelengths. Three tephras were dated as 306 +/- 37 ka, 429 +/- 93 ka and 490 +/- 40 ka. The results of TL dating of tephra associated with paleolithic sites surveyed in this area from the early 1980s, which range from 9.7 ka to 500 ka, are compared with the ages obtained by the other scientific dating techniques; fission track dating, ESR dating, paleomagnetism and tephrochronology.