Kategoria: Case Studies

A recent publication by Rocznik et al. (2023) demonstrated the μDOSE’s capability in accurately estimating various hazard indices (HI), including activity concentration index, radium equivalent activity, representative level index, absorbed and annual gamma dose rates, gamma effective indices, and both external and internal radiation hazard indices. This research highlights the new possibilities offered by the μDOSE system, particularly in measuring HI in small samples of just 3.00 grams. The estimation of HI was based on α and β particles, as well as decay pairs of ²²⁰Rn/²¹⁶Po, ²¹⁹Rn/²¹⁵Po, ²¹²Bi/²¹²Po, and ²¹⁴Bi/²¹⁴Po. This method provided correlated radionuclide estimates. By taking this correlation into account, HI can be calculated with increased precision. The hazard indices measured were then compared with the results from high-resolution gamma spectrometry.

References:

Rocznik, J., Pluta, J., Tudyka, K., Poręba, G., Szymak, A., 2023. A new fast screening method for estimating building materials hazard indices with correlated inputs. J Radioanal Nucl Chem. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09197-5

Researchers have published preliminary findings from their reinvestigation of the Kelly Forks Work Center Site (10CW34), an archaeological site located on the North Fork Clearwater River in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho. The site, which dates back to the late Pleistocene to late Holocene period, was previously thought to contain components associated with the Western Stemmed Tradition.

The researchers utilized μDose for assessing dose rates for trapped charge dating. This allowed to assess the stratigraphy and geochronology of the site, as well as to study traditional Nez Perce use of the Clearwater River drainage. Their findings provide new insights into the site’s history and cultural significance.

Further research is needed to fully uncover the site’s potential and deepen our understanding of the region’s prehistoric human activity.

Justin A. Holcomb, Aayush Srivastava, Timothy C. Kinnaird & John C. Blong (2023) Revisiting Kelly Forks (10CW34): Current and Future Research at a Western Stemmed Tradition Occupation in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho, USA, PaleoAmerica, 9:1, 76-80, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20555563.2023.2171745

A new interdisciplinary study on rural settlement and landscape development in northern Bavaria, Germany has been published. The study involved archaeological and geoarchaeological investigations supported by radiocarbon dating, optically stimulated luminescence dating (OSL), and palaeoecological analysis. The researchers aimed to identify unknown prehistoric rural settlement sites, determine site-specific soil erosion from colluvial deposits, and assess the composition of woodland from on- and offsite charcoal finds.

The earliest evidence of human activities dates back to the Younger Neolithic period, while the Middle to Late Bronze Age (ca. 1400–800 B.C.E.) was marked by permanent rural settlement in a German central upland region. The researchers noted a peak in the Late Bronze Age, which they attributed to varying thicknesses of Bronze Age colluvial deposits, indicating land use practices that triggered soil erosion. The study also showed that Maloideae, ash, and birch were successional indicators after fire clearance during that period.

The settlement continued until the 5th century B.C.E, with a hiatus of 500 years before re-flourishing in the Late Roman and Migration periods (mid-3rd–5th century C.E.) and continuing into the Medieval period.

The study provides valuable insights into the prehistoric rural settlement and landscape development in northern Bavaria, and highlights the potential of OSL method with μDose measurements in archaeological research.

Kothieringer K., Seregély T., Jansen D., Steup R., Schäfer A., Lambers K., & Fuchs M. (2023). Mid- to Late Holocene landscape dynamics and rural settlement in the uplands of northern Bavaria, Germany. Geoarcheology, 38, 220– 245. https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.21952

Archaeologists have made a step toward uncovering the history of the Lusatian Urnfield Cemetery at Brzezie in the Pleszew region of Greater Poland. After many years of fieldwork, including geophysical prospecting and excavation, materials for radiocarbon and luminescence dating were collected to determine the absolute chronology of the site.

In a study four samples were dated using OSL. The luminescence dating was made possible by measuring the dose rates in small archaeological samples using the innovative uDOSE system. The results reveal an agreement between radiocarbon and OSL dating methods, providing a date range of 1000-500 BC.

This new study provides valuable insights into the history of the Lusatian Urnfield Cemetery at Brzezie and the uDOSE system helped to provide a more accurate estimate of the dose rates for OSL dating.

Ginter, A.; Moska, P.; Poręba, G.; Tudyka, K.; Szymak, A.; Szczurek, G. Absolute Dates of Artifacts from Lusatian Urnfield Cemetery at Brzezie, Greater Poland. Radiocarbon 2022, 64 (6), 1471–1482. https://doi.org/10.1017/RDC.2022.70

A new study (Szymak et al., 2022) has examined the impact of internal alpha and beta dose rates in quartz grains obtained from sandy sediments on the results of luminescence dating. The internal dose rates, which range from 0.01-0.21 Gy/ky, play a non-negligible role in determining the accuracy of luminescence dating results, especially when the external dose rates are low.

To measure the internal and external dose rates in quartz grains, the researchers used the innovative uDOSE system. The findings of the study showed that ignoring the contribution of the internal dose rates could result in artificially older luminescence ages.

Szymak, Agnieszka, Moska, Piotr, Poręba, Grzegorz, Tudyka, Konrad and Adamiec, Grzegorz. „The Internal Dose Rate in Quartz Grains: Experimental Data and Consequences for Luminescence Dating” Geochronometria, vol.49, no.1, 2022, pp.9-17. https://doi.org/10.2478/geochr-2022-0002

We are happy to let you know that μDose Solutions was once again present at the DLED Conference (4-6 Nov). This year’s edition was organised by the University of Cologne and took place in Bonn, Germany.

Our fellow researchers and participants were able to visit our stand and get a closer look at the equipment we offer and had a chance to ask any and all questions they had.

Our representatives also presented posters of their work and research, which included the practical use of the μDose System.

The Conference was a lot of fun, both professionally and socially speaking 😄 and we are looking forward to the next one!

(by J. Rocznik)

Try μRate free dose rate calculator for trapped charge dating

It takes into account all corrections described in the literature, allows storing results, recalculating the dose rate for different assumptions and much more. 

It can be used anonymously as well! 

Described in Archaeometry https://doi.org/10.1111/arcm.12828

A reconstruction of land use practices that were performed in the Middle Bronze Age in north-western Alpine foreland was conducted by Scherer et al., (2021). It includes a reconstruction of the colluvial deposition phases obtained through OSL and AMS C-14 dating of the deposits and archaeological data. For OSL dating isotope dose rates (U-238, Th-232, K-40) were established using thick source alpha-counting and the µDose System.

Scherer, S., Höpfer, B., Deckers, K., Fischer, E., Fuchs, M., Kandeler, E., … Kühn, P. (2021). Middle Bronze Age land use practices in the northwestern Alpine foreland – a multi-proxy study of colluvial deposits, archaeological features and peat bogs. SOIL, 7(1), 269–304. https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-7-269-2021

(by J. Rocznik)

Analysis of Late glacial and Holocene samples obtained by Moska et al., (2021) from 3 representative profiles located in western-central Poland was performed to establish their regional stratigraphical and paleoenvironmental significance. The paper provides results for sedimentological, geomorphological and absolute dating methods; OSL sediment dating (SAR protocol + µDose system) provided 31 dates and AMS ¹⁴C dating – 7 dates. Correlating the results with reference to Greenland ice-core chronology allowed for determination of the types and origins of sediment presence on sites.

Piotr Moska, Robert J. Sokołowski, Zdzisław Jary, Paweł Zieliński, Jerzy Raczyk, Agnieszka Szymak, Marcin Krawczyk, Jacek Skurzyński, Grzegorz Poręba, Michał Łopuch, Konrad Tudyka,
Stratigraphy of the Late Glacial and Holocene aeolian series in different sedimentary zones related to the Last Glacial maximum in Poland, Quaternary International, 2021, doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2021.04.004.