Isolation of Quartz Grains for Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) Dating of Quaternary Sediments for...

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating quantifies the time since mineral grains were deposited and shielded from additional light or heat exposure, which effectively resets the luminescence clock. The systematics of OSL dating is based on the dosimetric properties of common minerals, like quartz and feldspar. The acquired luminescence with exposure to natural ionizing radiation after burial provides a depositional age for many Quaternary sedimentary systems, spanning the past 0.5 Ma. This contribution details the procedures for separating pure quartz grains of a known range of particle sizes to facilitate luminescence analysis with small or single grain aliquots. Specifically, protocols are given for the needed data and interpretations for effective OSL dating of terrestrial sediment cores or sample tubes from exposures. These cores, 5-20 m long in 1.2 m sections, are split lengthwise and crown-cut leaving 80% of core volume undisturbed, which facilitates sampling of light-protected sediment for OSL dating deep within the core. Sediment samples are then subjected to a series of physical separations to obtain a certain grain-size interval (e.g., 150-250 µm). Magnetic minerals are removed in wet and dry states using magnets. A series of chemical digestions starts with soaking in H2O2 to remove organic matter, followed by HCl exposure to remove carbonate minerals, followed by density separation. Subsequently, grains are soaked in HF for 80 min and after in HCl to render solely quartz grains. The mineralogic purity (>99%) of the quartz extract is quantified with grain petrographic assessment and Raman spectroscopy. Repeating this quartz isolation procedure may be necessary with sediment that contains <15% quartz grains. Excitation of the purified quartz grains by LED-derived blue and IR light allows calculations of the fast and IR depletion ratios, which are metrics to assess the dominance of luminescence emissions from quartz.