ATTEMPTS AT DATING PUMICE DEPOSITS AROUND 580-KA BY USE OF RED TL ANDESR OF XENOLITHIC QUARTZ INCLUSIONS

The ESR dating technique and the TL dating technique were applied to t he same samples of quartz grains, which were heated during a pumice er uption dated at 580 +/- 20 ka by means of Ar-40/Ar-39 single grain las er fusion. The additive dose technique was used. The age obtained by u se of the red TL quartz, 544 +/- 42 ka, was in agreement with the expe cted age. The Al and Ti paramagnetic centres of quartz gave highly sca ttered age results, depending on the regression method that was used; for this reason, it was not possible to propose any reliable ESR age. This seems to confirm the analysis of the relevant literature, which s uggests that the long-range dating limit of the technique is below hal f a million years.