On April 5, 2022, Dr. Marine Frouin presented her talk “Luminescence dating: how grains of sand can shed new light on human prehistory” for the University Libraries’ STEM Speaker Series.
Sand, which has been exposed to light during transport, can reveal the evolutionary past of life. Luminescence dating methods, such as optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL), are commonly used in the study of sediments such as quartz and feldspars.
Using the luminescence dating technique, Dr. Frouin and her research team studied the radioactivity of grains of sand from the archaeological site of Mandrin, France to explore the stratigraphy, culture, and human attribution during the Quaternary geological time period. At the site of Nasim, Saudi Arabia, Dr. Frouin and her team even went further by applying the new infrared-radiofluorescence (IR-RF) dating method to advance their study.
The intriguing talk attracted local and international audiences.
Clara Tran
Email: clara.tran@stonybrook.edu
