Insights into TT-OSL signal stability from single-grain analyses of known-age deposits at Atapuerca, Spain

Abstract

Single-grain thermally transferred optically stimulated luminescence (TT-OSL) dating has recently been applied to a number of the Atapuerca palaeoanthropological sites. As yet, however, there have not been any direct assessments of TT-OSL signal stabilities for specific grains used for dating. In this study, we undertake a series of TT-OSL suitability assessments on known-age samples from Gran Dolina and Sima del Elefante. Our results suggest that the Atapuerca samples contain populations or sub-populations of grains with suitably stable TT-OSL signals for dating over late-Early and Middle Pleistocene timescales. Equivalent dose (De) distribution analysis in combination with pulse-annealing assessments provides a useful means of identifying inter-grain and inter-sample differences in TT-OSL signal stabilities. We also show that obtaining De values using different preheat conditions may help to identify potentially problematic TT-OSL behaviours. Analyses of multi-grain aliquot TL curves for these samples reveal that 'bulk' TL signal loss experiments may provide limited insights into TT-OSL source trap lifetimes due to averaging effects, the dominance of grain populations that do not produce TT-OSL, and interference from slowly bleaching OSL components. Our results improve the robustness and precision of existing TT-OSL chronologies for units TD6-3 and TE16-TE17 at Gran Dolina and Sima del Elefante, and support the broader suitability of the single-grain TT-OSL approach at the Atapuerca sites.