Dating Research
Luminescence
The Luminescence Dating Laboratory at the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, University of Oxford, has been actively involved in the development and application of luminescence dating for more than 35 years. The Laboratory offers a service for luminescence dating of archaeological, environmental and Quaternary geological contexts. This includes optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments and thermoluminescence (TL) dating of ceramic (pottery, brick, tile), burnt flint/stone and sediment.
Radiocarbon
ORAU was one of the first radiocarbon AMS laboratories to be founded in the world.
Since then it has been actively involved in radiocarbon research of almost all kinds.
The methods developed here are useful in a wide range of applications. The largest portion of our work is applied to archaeological problems. We also work in environmental science, the biological sciences and art history.
Tephrochronology and Quaternary Geochronology
The correlation and geochemical analysis of volcanic ash deposits (tephra) allows the identification and dating of isochronous marker horizons within sediment sequences.The correlation and geochemical analysis of volcanic ash deposits (tephra) allows the identification and dating of isochronous marker horizons within sediment sequences.
The correlation and geochemical analysis of volcanic ash deposits (tephra) allows the identification
and dating of isochronous marker horizons within sediment sequences.
Tephrochronology thus provides a precise and well-established dating tool,
already widely used in the study of Quaternary environmental stratigraphies.
Here at Oxford we work with micro- (or crypto-) tephra deposits,
found beyond the geographical limits of visible ash fall deposits,
allowing correlations to be made over wider areas.
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