Premium
METEORITES AND THERMOLUMINESCENCE
Author(s) -
McKeever S.W.S.,
Sears D.W.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
meteoritics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 0026-1114
DOI - 10.1111/j.1945-5100.1979.tb00476.x
Subject(s) - meteorite , thermoluminescence , astrobiology , sensitivity (control systems) , geology , physics , irradiation , nuclear physics , electronic engineering , engineering
The TL techniques that have been developed successfully for archaeological and dosimetric applications cannot be unambiguously applied to meteorites because of the possibility that most or all of the meteorite TL is in dynamic equilibrium — its rate of thermal decay balancing its rate of build‐up. In this situation, space irradiation temperature and, thereby, orbital information for the most recent eras (10 5 ‐10 6 years), can be determined. In only a few instances (e.g. meteorites with very low exposure ages) will the possibility exist that equilibrium may not have been reached, but even here it has to be shown that the exposure event had removed previously existing TL before normal TL dating techniques can be employed. There is some evidence to suggest that the TL sensitivity builds up with time. This raises the possibility of dating major shock and/or reheating events, if it can be shown that such events destroyed the TL sensitivity.