The last formation: dating recrystallisation events of evaporites using lyoluminescence

Project Information

Lyoluminescence

Grant agreement ID: 101107989

DOI

10.3030/101107989

Project closed

EC signature date 1 March 2023

Start date 1 April 2023

End date 31 March 2025

Funded under

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Total cost

No data

EU contribution

€ 189 687,36

Coordinated by

RUPRECHT-KARLS-UNIVERSITAET HEIDELBERG
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Lyoluminescence (The last formation: dating recrystallisation events of evaporites using lyoluminescence)

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2025-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The Lyoluminescence (LL) project addresses a fundamental challenge in geoscience and luminescence dating: the lack of effective methods for dating evaporite deposits, particularly halite and sylvite.
These salt minerals are key geological archives, widely distributed in sedimentary basins, and essential for understanding paleoenvironments, tectonic activity, and the longer-term tracking of climate change.
The project proposed a novel solution: exploring lyoluminescence—the emission of light upon dissolution of previously irradiated salts—as the basis for a new dating technique. While LL as a physical phenomenon has been known for decades, its potential as a geochronological tool has not been systematically investigated. The project sought to change that by generating new fundamental knowledge on LL in halite and sylvite, prototyping a portable LL reader (LyoScope), and validating the method through laboratory experiments and real-world sample testing.
Through collaboration with the Morsleben repository in Germany, the project successfully demonstrated that LL signals in natural halite and sylvite are measurable, dose-dependent, and reproducible. These results were published in an open-access journal, confirming the feasibility of LL dosimetry. All hardware and software developed were released under open licenses, hosted on Zenodo, ensuring methodological transparency and enabling reproducibility.
The project’s broader objective was to establish the methodological foundation for LL-based dating, with potential applications in palaeoclimatology and geochronology. Its impact spans scientific and technological dimensions: extending the range of datable geological materials and introducing a new class of luminescence-based instrumentation.
The project did not specifically require integration of social sciences and humanities; however, the ethical, environmental, and policy implications of LL-based dating make it highly relevant for future cross-disciplinary research. These perspectives will be essential in shaping responsible, societally informed applications of the LL method as it progresses beyond proof of concept.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

The Lyoluminescence (LL) project successfully delivered all key scientific objectives. The main focus was on investigating LL in evaporite minerals (halite and sylvite) and exploring its potential as a novel geochronological method. The project comprised experimental, methodological, and technical work, leading to the following core achievements:
- A comprehensive sampling, irradiation, and measurement protocol was developed for LL analysis in salt minerals.
- A fully functional and portable LL measurement device (LyoScope) was designed, built, tested, and released under an open license. The accompanying software was developed in R and shared as open-source.
- Experimental studies confirmed that natural halite and sylvite emit reproducible LL signals, with measurable dose–response relationships and sensitivity to key factors such as NaCl concentration and activator presence. These results validated the feasibility of LL dosimetry.
- The method was applied to natural samples from the Morsleben repository (Germany), providing the first test of LL-based geochronology.
- One peer-reviewed open access article was published presenting the core findings, and a second manuscript is under review, further detailing the instrument and methods.
Overall, the project established a methodological and technical foundation for future LL-based dating applications in geoscience. It introduced a new class of luminescence instrumentation and significantly advanced understanding of LL processes in evaporites.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The project delivered several results that go significantly beyond the state of the art in luminescence dating and geoscience instrumentation. Most notably, it introduced lyoluminescence (LL) as a scientifically validated candidate for dating evaporite minerals—materials previously inaccessible to conventional luminescence methods such as OSL or TL. Before this project, LL was known only as a physical phenomenon, not as a usable dosimetric or dating technique.
Key advancements include:
- The first systematic demonstration of dose-dependent and reproducible LL signals in natural halite and sylvite.
- The development of LyoScope, a portable LL reader, and its open-access dissemination, which represents the first available instrumentation for LL measurements in geological materials.
- The creation of standardised measurement and analysis protocols, which now form a foundation for future LL-based geochronological research.
These results open new avenues in Quaternary and paleoclimate research, especially in arid and evaporite-rich environments. They also offer the potential for integration with existing luminescence laboratories and dating frameworks.
To ensure further uptake and real-world application, the following steps have been identified:
- Further research and optimisation of measurement reproducibility and calibration for absolute age determination.
- Collaborative validation with other laboratories to test the method across different geological contexts.
- Commercialisation support, including partnerships with companies such as Freiberg Instruments Gmbh.
- Access to research funding for scaling up the TRL level and exploring field deployment in various environments.
- Development of user-friendly interfaces and improved robustness for fieldwork applications.
Overall, the project has introduced an original method with wide-ranging implications for geoscience and dating technologies, and laid the groundwork for future technological innovation and interdisciplinary research.

The Lyoluminescence project in a nutshell