ESR DATING OF QUARTZ EXTRACTED FROM QUATERNARY AND NEOGENE SEDIMENTS - METHOD, POTENTIAL AND ACTUAL LIMITS

ESR dating of fluvial, fluvio-marine and beach sediment has been teste d using the Al centre in quartz grains from a basin and fossil beaches located around the]Manche Channel. Dating was performed in conjunctio n with sedimentological, stratigraphical and neotectonical studies. Th e technical basis of the method is presented in the light of the study made on recent and fossil sediment in order to establish a procedure for the determination of the palaeodose. The application on a Neogene Basin samples allows to push back the dating ESR limits. Results show that ESR dating of sediment can provide chronozons which are necessary to the uderstanding of the history of a basin where classical chronol ogical markers do not exist. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.