Investigations on the Luminescence Properties of Quartz and Feldspars Extracted from Loess in the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand South Island

The applicability of the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol, by using the optically stimulated lumi-nescence (OSL) signal of quartz as well as the post-infrared–infrared (pIRIR) signals of polymineral fine grains, namely pIRIR225 and pIRIR290, was assessed for dating loess in New Zealand South Island. OSL signals of quartz grains displayed low sensitivity. However, the application of repeated irradiation/bleaching cycles did not result in an increase in sensitivity; annealing in the 300–500°C temperature range generated the sensitisation of both the 110°C thermoluminescence (TL) peak as well as the OSL signal, likely by activation of yet unidentified luminescence centres. After heating, the quartz signal is comparable to that of ideal samples, but the annealing is precluding successful dating. On the other hand, feldspar infrared-stimulated signals displayed satisfactory properties, al-lowing estimation of ages ranging from 14 ± 1–29 ± 3 ka for the investigated deposit. It was shown that pIRIR225 and pIRIR290 methods have potential for dating loess in the South Island of New Zealand, based on the following observations: (i) Dose recovery tests were successful with recovered-to-given dose ratios with a <10% deviation from unity, (ii) constant residual values of about 4 Gy and about 10 Gy were obtained after exposures for 48 h in the case of pIRIR225 signals and 96 h in the case of pIRIR290 signals, respectively, (iii) while a slight dose-dependence of the residual was reported, and for a dose as large as 1600 Gy the residual values are ≅9 Gy and ≅19 Gy for pIRIR225 and pIRIR290 signals, respectively

Testing the potential of using fine quartz for dating loess in South Island, New Zealand

Highlights • OSL signals of coarse (˃ 63 μm) quartz from loess in New Zealand are not amenable for dating. • Fine quartz (4–11 μm) signals allowed the application of OSL dating for last glacial loess. • Differences between the two grain sizes could not be unravelled by ESR characterisation. • Ages obtained on polymineral fine grains using pIRIR overestimate the fine quartz chronology. The applicability of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating on quartz from South Island, New Zealand is hampered by the poor behaviour of the targeted signals. However, most OSL dating studies have been focused on using coarse quartz fractions. Since a previous study conducted from a nearby site demonstrated that coarse quartz (63–90, 90–125, 125–180 and 180–250 μm) is not suitable for OSL dating, we attempt using fine quartz here. Therefore, the standard SAR protocol was applied on 4–11 μm quartz extracted from a loess/paleosol section. Unlike the coarser fractions, the OSL signal of fine quartz displayed satisfactory characteristics which allowed estimating ages ranging from 0.3 ± 0.04 ka to 16 ± 1 ka. In order to understand the differences between the two quartz fractions, we characterise fine (4–11 μm) as well as the usually used coarser grain sizes (˃ 63 μm) of quartz by electron spin resonance (ESR). No significant differences are reported in qualitative terms between the grain sizes investigated and calibration quartz. We report a higher abundance of intrinsic defects in the fine grain fraction; however, this is typical for quartz from other regions as well, that was amenable for OSL dating. As such, the differences between the fine quartz fraction and the coarse fraction is not yet understood. In addition, two elevated temperature post-infrared infrared protocols (pIRIR225 and pIRIR290) were applied and polymineral grains extracted from the same samples. Despite residual dose corrections being performed using a modern analogue, pIRIR ages overestimate quartz ages by 19–122% in the case of the application of the pIRIR225 protocol and by 25–217% in the case of the application of the pIRIR290 protocol. The effect could not be circumvented by the application of a test dose with a magnitude of 50% of the equivalent dose in the pIRIR290 protocol. In the case of the application of pIRIR290 protocol, dose recovery tests ratios vary from 1.07 ± 0.06 to 1.23 ± 0.05. While not ideal, these results cannot fully explain the differences reported between the ages obtained by fine quartz OSL and the polymineral fine grains pIRIR methods

On the importance of grain size in luminescence dating using quartz

There are two major problems commonly encountered when applying Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating in the high dose range: (i) age discrepancy between different grain sizes, and (ii) age underestimation. A marked and systematic discrepancy between fine-grain (4–11 μm) and coarse-grain (63–90 μm) quartz single aliquot regeneration protocol (SAR) ages has been reported previously for Romanian and Serbian loess >40 ka (De of ∼100 Gy), generally with fine-grain ages underestimating the depositional age. In this paper, we show a similar age pattern for two grain size fractions from Chinese loess, thus pointing to a potential worldwide phenomenon. While age underestimation is often attributed to signal saturation problems, this is not the case for fine grain material, which saturates at higher doses than coarse grains, yet begins to underestimate true ages earlier. Here we examine the dose response curves of quartz from different sedimentary contexts around the world, using a range of grain sizes (diameters of 4–11 μm, 11–30 μm, 35–50 μm, 63–90 μm, 90–125 μm, 125–180 μm, and 180–250 μm). All dose response curves can be adequately described by a sum of two saturating exponential functions, whose saturation characteristics (D0 values) are clearly anticorrelated with grain diameter (φ) through an inverse square root relationship, D0 = A/√φ, where A is a scaling factor. While the mechanism behind this grain-size dependency of saturation characteristics still needs to be understood, our results show that the observation of an extended SAR laboratory dose response curve does not necessarily enable high doses to be recorded accurately, or provide a corresponding extended age range

Groundwater erosion of coastal gullies along the Canterbury coast (New Zealand): a rapid and episodic process controlled by rainfall intensity and substrate variability

Gully formation has been associated to groundwater seepage in unconsolidated sand- to gravel-sizedsediments. Our understanding of gully evolution by groundwater seepage mostly relies on experiments and nu-merical simulations, and these rarely take into consideration contrasts in lithology and permeability. In addition,process-based observations and detailed instrumental analyses are rare. As a result, we have a poor understandingof the temporal scale of gully formation by groundwater seepage and the influence of geological heterogeneityon their formation. This is particularly the case for coastal gullies, where the role of groundwater in their for-mation and evolution has rarely been assessed. We address these knowledge gaps along the Canterbury coastof the South Island (New Zealand) by integrating field observations, luminescence dating, multi-temporal un-occupied aerial vehicle and satellite data, time domain electromagnetic data and slope stability modelling. Weshow that gully formation is a key process shaping the sandy gravel cliffs of the Canterbury coastline. It is anepisodic process associated to groundwater flow that occurs once every 227 d on average, when rainfall intensi-ties exceed 40 mm d−1. The majority of the gullies in a study area southeast (SE) of Ashburton have undergoneerosion, predominantly by elongation, during the last 11 years, with the most recent episode occurring 3 yearsago. Gullies longer than 200 m are relict features formed by higher groundwater flow and surface erosion>2 kaago. Gullies can form at rates of up to 30 m d−1via two processes, namely the formation of alcoves and tunnelsby groundwater seepage, followed by retrogressive slope failure due to undermining and a decrease in shearstrength driven by excess pore pressure development. The location of gullies is determined by the occurrenceof hydraulically conductive zones, such as relict braided river channels and possibly tunnels, and of sand lensesexposed across sandy gravel cliffs. We also show that the gully planform shape is generally geometrically similarat consecutive stages of evolution. These outcomes will facilitate the reconstruction and prediction of a prevalenterosive process and overlooked geohazard along the Canterbury coastline

OSL-dating of the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition in loess from China, Europe and North America, and evidence for accretionary pedogenesis

Loess deposits intercalated by paleosols are detailed terrestrial archives of Quaternary climate variability providing information on the global dust cycle and landscape dynamics. Their paleoclimatic significance is often explored by quantifying their mineral magnetic properties due to their sensitivity to local/regional hydroclimate variability. Detailed chronological assessment of such regional proxy records around the climatic transitions allow a better understanding of how regional records react to major global climatic transitions such as the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition. Logs of high-resolution magnetic susceptibility and its frequency dependence were used as paleoclimatic proxies to define the environmental transition from the last glacial loess to the current interglacial soil as reflected in nine loess-paleosol sequences across the northern hemisphere, from the Chinese Loess Plateau, the southeastern European loess belt and the central Great Plains, USA. The onset of increase in magnetic susceptibility above typical loess values was used to assess the onset of, and developments during, the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition. High-resolution luminescence dating was applied on multiple grain-sizes (4–11 μm, 63–90 μm, 90–125 μm) of quartz extracts from the same sample in order to investigate the timing of Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition in the investigated sites. The magnetic susceptibility signal shows a smooth and gradual increase for the majority of the sites from the typical low loess values to the interglacial ones. The initiation of this increase, interpreted as recording the initiation of the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition at each site, was dated to 14–17.5 ka or even earlier. Our chronological results highlight the need of combining paleoclimatic proxies (magnetic susceptibility) with absolute dating when investigating the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition as reflected by the evolution of this proxy in order to avoid chronostratigraphic misinterpretations in loess-paleosol records caused by simple pattern correlation. The detailed luminescence chronologies evidence the continuity of eolian mineral dust accumulation regardless of glacial or interglacial global climatic regimes. Coupled with magnetic susceptibility records this indicates that dust sedimentation and pedogenesis act simultaneously and result in a non-negligible accretional component in the formation of Holocene soils in loess regions across the Northern Hemisphere. The luminescence ages allowed the modeling of accumulation rates for the Holocene soil which are similar for European, Chinese and U.S.A. loess sites investigated and vary from 2 cm ka−1 to 9 cm ka−1. While accretional pedogenesis has often been implicitly or explicitly assumed in paleoclimatic interpretation of loess-paleosol sequences, especially in the Chinese Loess Plateau, our luminescence data add direct evidence for ongoing sedimentation as interglacial soils formed