Thermoluminescent dating of the remains of ancient Estonian settlements by means of feldspar inclusion method

Authors

• G. Hütt
• A. Molodkov
• T. Moora

Abstract

K-feldspars were extracted from burnt sand from under the hearths of ancient settlements. Energetical trap parameters with Tm = 320°C (heating rate 2.5 grad/sec) were determined: E = 1.7 eV; T = 3.2 · 10⁸ years. Fading was not observed within the limits of reproducibility ( < 5 %). The impact of etching with acids on TL and dosimetric properties of feldspars were studied. As quartz proved unapplicable to TL-dating K-feldspars were used for determining the age of some ancient Estonian settlements. The results obtained are in good agreement with radiocarbon dates and archaeological suppositions.