Isochron dating of sand-loess-soil deposits from the Mu Us Desert margin, central China

Abstract

A sand-loess-soil sequence from the margin of the Mu Us Desert was studied using the isochron infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) dating method utilizing K-feldspar grains extracted from sediments. Although the IRSL ages measured with the conventional method showed underestimation as a result of anomalous fading, the isochron results are broadly consistent with independent ages based on stratigraphic correlation in a glacial/interglacial scale over the last 250 ka. For samples older than 250 ka, the IRSL signals approached in field saturation and the isochron dating gave ambiguous results, suggesting an age limit for the method. © 2011 Elsevier B.V.