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Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology pp 2352–2358Cite as

Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Dating in Archaeology

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Introduction

Electron spin resonance (ESR) has been used for absolute dating of archaeological materials such as quartz, flints, carbonate crystals, and fossil remains for nearly 50 years. The technique is based on the fact that certain crystal behaves as natural dosimeters. This means that electrons and holes are accumulated over time in the crystal lattice induced by surrounding radiation. The age is obtained by calculating the dose received compared to the dose rate generated by the surrounding environment, mainly radioisotopes K, U, and Th. The dating range is dependent on the nature and state of conservation of the sample and the surrounding environment but is between a few thousands and a couple of million years. Since, ESR dating is best and most commonly applied to tooth enamel in archaeology, this paper predominantly focuses on its direct application to fossil remains.

Definition

ESR Basic Principle

In solid-state physics, trapped electrons and holes can be represented with...

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Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Dating in Archaeology, Fig. 1
Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Dating in Archaeology, Fig. 2
Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Dating in Archaeology, Fig. 3
Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Dating in Archaeology, Fig. 4
Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Dating in Archaeology, Fig. 5

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Cross GeoScience, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia

    Renaud Joannes-Boyau

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  1. Renaud Joannes-Boyau
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Correspondence to Renaud Joannes-Boyau .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Archaeology, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Claire Smith

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Joannes-Boyau, R. (2014). Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) Dating in Archaeology. In: Smith, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Global Archaeology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0465-2_2447

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