Landscape Evolution & Luminescence Geochronology Laboratory

Staff working under red light in lab

Luminescence dating uses various methods to stimulate and measure luminescence. It allows researchers to date materials that cannot be dated using other techniques. The age range of luminescence dating methods extends from a few years to over one million years

The term itself refers to a group of chronological dating methods of determining how long ago mineral grains were last exposed to sunlight or sufficient heating. It is useful to geologists and archaeologists who want to know when such an event occurred. 

Our Lab uses Optical Dating techniques such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL).