Luminescence dating of archaeosediments: A comparison of K-feldspar and plagioclase IRSL ages

IRSL single-aliquot dating of three feldspar fractions from a Howieson's Poort (SA) industry site has been investigated. In the case of the plagioclase fraction (ρ > 2.62 g cm−3) equivalent dose is similar to that of the other fractions (i.e. ρ < 2.58 g cm−3, high-K-feldspar; and 2.58 < ρ < 2.62 g cm−3; low-K-feldspar). However, the g values measured for this fraction is such that the fading-corrected age is overestimated. The K content of each fraction was estimated by SEM. The DRC-corrected ages for the two lighter feldspar fractions are consistent with the archaeological interpretation. This study shows that reliable single-aliquot luminescence ages can be obtained using K-feldspar and Na-plagioclase.