4. Methods based on radiation damage

There are also methods based on damage caused by the radioactive decay of potassium, uranium and thorium in minerals. Among these methods, the most widely used are those based on thermoluminescence, fission trace methods and those using electron spin resonance.

• Thermoluminescence-based dating uses the following property of minerals subjected to ionizing radiation from the decay of surrounding uranium, thorium and potassium: in these minerals, electrons are displaced and trapped in metastable sites. Under the effect of heat, the trapped electrons return to their metastable state, emitting light. The quantity of light emitted is proportional to the duration of exposure to radiation. An age can therefore be deduced. This method, widely used in archaeology, can be used to date flints heated in prehistoric hearths to ages of up to 200 ka. We can...