Luminescence Dating

Chronology plays an important role in determining the timing of geological and climatic events that shaped the earth’s surface processes, particularly during the Quaternary period, as this lays the foundation of understanding our recent past and predicting possible future scenarios. Considering that the major focus in Quaternary research is on the earth’s surface processes, climate change and human– cultural interactions, it is thus pertinent to secure the chronology of these events identified using various proxies. Hence improving the numerical ages and techniques for Quaternary sediments and artifacts is crucial for Quaternary research. In the Indian context, over the last few decades, the luminescence dating technique has made a significant contribution towards providing secure chronology on dunes, fluvial deposits, glacial/paraglacial sediments, coastal deposits and to some extent on archaeological materials.