Estimation of the influence of experimental conditions on ESR dating results

Rapid progress has recently been made in ESR dating, a new dating technique. Much attention has been paid to the accuracy of its results, as errors may be caused by various factors. This paper probes into the influence of the applied microwave power and the absorbed dose rate of additional radiation. A few measurements we made with carbonate and quartz samples reveal that the microwave power saturation point depends on the type of paramagnetic centers and the type of samples. The microwave power and the dose rate of additional radiation have an apparent effect on the total radiation dose assessment in such samples. Extrapolating on a logarithmic scale, we determine that the ESR age of coral sample 87-04 is (3.64 ± 0.55) ka as microwave power is zero. This is in accord with its 14C age (3.75 ± 0.19) ka.