Luminescence dating of sediments

Recent progress in luminescence dating has led to the realization of a long-standing wish of geoscientists, namely, the direct dating of a wide range of sediments. Using luminescence dating, one is able to determine the moment when mineral grains were last exposed to light. In most terrestrial sedimentary environments the grains are exposed to light during erosion, transportation, and deposition. After they are buried the grains are shielded from light, and the luminescence "clock" starts running. We briefly summarize the principles of luminescence as far as they apply to age determination, discuss an example that illustrates the potential and limitations of luminescence dating applied to Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments, and review some possibilities for the future that arise from recent technical and methodological improvements.