Optical dating of the 12 May 2008, Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake-related sediments: Tests of zeroing assumptions

► Ages from optical dating of paleoearthquake-related deposits with short recurrence intervals should be interpreted with caution. ► The residual equivalent dose (De) varies with grain size, mineralogy, and method of De calculation. ► It is recommended to use the single-grain approach in dim, poorly-bleached samples related to paleoearthquakes.