COMPARISON OF TL AND IRSL AGE ESTIMATES OF FELDSPAR COARSE GRAINS FROM WATERLAIN SEDIMENTS

The infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) dating methods are applied to alkali feldspar coarse grains from shallow marine, estuarine, shallow lacustrine and sublittoral sediments in the range 10-200 ka. No significant difference was observed between the equivalent doses obtained using IRSL and TL. Most luminescence dates are consistent with the expected geological age estimates obtained from radiocarbon, amino acid and ESR dates. This study provides evidence of the reliability of IRSL age estimates on alkali feldspars from well-bleached waterlain sediments older than 100 ka, provided that a correction for long-term thermal stability is applied in each case.