Developing luminescence dating for extraterrestrial applications: Characterization of martian simulants and minerals

Currently, the timing of geologic and climatic events on Mars is poorly constrained, particularly for events that may have occurred over the last one million years of martian history, as the only dating technique currently available is crater counting which has an error of approximately one million years. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating has been suggested as a technique that can be adapted for robotic in situ dating of martian sediments that have been transported and deposited by wind or water over the last 104104–105105 years. This paper evaluates the potential of OSL for dating of martian surface geomorphologic features using a so-called “single-aliquot regenerative-dose” (SAR) technique for radiation dosimetry. The study evaluates the utility of the SAR technique for martian dating purposes using martian regolith simulants and martian meteorites. It is found that these materials have the requisite OSL properties for radiation dosimetry and can potentially be used for geological dating.