Thermoluminescence dosimetry using natural calcite

The TL dosimetric characteristics of the natural calcite from El Bakriya, Eastern Desert, Egypt, were studied to investigate their feasibility for use in gamma radiation dosimetry. The peak that appeared at the temperature of 283 °C on the TL glow curve was found to have a linear response to the doses over the range of 0.05–1000 Gy, especially after being annealed at 600 °C for 5 h before irradiation.Neither annealing nor irradiation changed the activation energy of the traps that produced the peak at 283 °C on the TL glow curve of the natural calcite. Accordingly, the natural calcite from El Bakriya is nominated as a good dosimeter for many dosimetric applications.The studied calcite was dated to have an age of 102 ka, which is consistent with the age obtained by Dawood (1998).