Reading the sands of time
Geochronology is the science of assigning a date to rocks, fossils and the like. Many different methods are used, including the emerging technique of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL). OSL needs just a single grain of sand to accurately date a specimen. OSL is a highly specialised technique, yet opportunities to learn how to apply it are limited. In the case of the Geopal project, EU funding was used to help a young researcher learn OSL. The experience was not limited to the laboratory, however, as it is also important to know how samples must be collected, especially from sensitive sites such as archaeological digs. During Geopal, nearly 40 samples were gathered from locations in South Africa and Morocco. he next phase involved an apprenticeship at a world renowned OSL facility in Australia. Knowledge of standard instrument protocols as well as advanced techniques were acquired. Such project efforts enabled the highly accurate determination of the chronology of the African samples, which in turn led to several presentations and papers, including a publication in the journal Science. Projects such as Geopal are ensuring that European scientists stay on top of the latest developments in geochronology.
