Using a portable luminescence reader for rapid age assessment of aeolian sediments for reconstructing dunefield landscape evolution in southern Africa

Researchers have developed a rapid, cost-effective method for estimating the age of aeolian sediments using a portable luminescence reader (POSL), enabling large-scale landscape evolution studies. By calibrating POSL signals against 144 samples with known ages from southern Africa, they established region-specific regression models that can predict sediment ages back to tens of thousands of years. The approach, validated across four distinct dunefield regions—Namib Sand Sea (NSS), northern Kalahari barchan dunes, western Kalahari, and southern Kalahari—demonstrates strong correlations (R² values ranging from 0.52 to 0.99). This method avoids chemical exposure, reduces time and costs, and provides a practical tool for reconstructing Late Quaternary climatic changes in arid environments. The findings highlight the importance of regional calibration for accurate age assessments.

Stone, A., Bateman, M. D., Burrough, S. L., Garzanti, E., Limonta, M., Radeff, G., & Telfer, M. W. (2019). Using a portable luminescence reader for rapid age assessment of aeolian sediments for reconstructing dunefield landscape evolution in southern Africa. Quaternary Geochronology, 49, 57–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2018.03.002