Optically stimulated luminescence dating of the upper horizon of a Serbian loess-paleosoil sequence using quartz

Optically stimulated luminescence dating widely used for establishing highresolution
chronologies for the Quaternary in paleoclimate research. Loess
is an important archive of past climate changes on continents. In order to
provide a first absolute chronology for Zemun loess paleosoil sequence in
Serbia, the single-aliquot-regenerative dose (SAR) protocol was applied on
coarse (63-90 μm) quartz fraction extracted from five samples. The profile
reaches a thickness of 4 m, where the modern soil is visible in the
uppermost part of the section. The investigated samples were collected
from the transition between the uppermost visible soil and the loess layer,
based on field observations. The results of the SAR-OSL protocol intrinsic
rigor tests indicate that it can be successfully applied on coarse quartz
extracted from Zemun samples, as all the results were within accepted limits
of variation. The equivalent doses determined range from 13.8 ± 1.5 Gy
(ZMN 55A) to 20.5 ± 2.1 Gy (ZMN 75A). Thus, the luminescence ages
obtained for the investigated samples vary between 5.8 ± 0.8 ka (ZMN 55A)
and 8.7 ± 1.1 ka (ZMN 75A). According to the ages obtained all the samples
are assigned to the Holocene period.