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Book/Page NotesCurious?

Luminescence and dating the construction of megalithic buildings

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book_sandIs the method of luminescence, or exposure dating, one that can be, or has been, usefully applied to megalithic buildings, particularly those incorporating stone of high quartz content, the granite in the Pyramids of Giza, for example, to provide information about the dates of their construction?

With regard to quartz, silica sand grains, the process works on the basis that as cosmic rays constantly bombard the earth, the nuclei of some silica and oxygen atoms are converted to a new unstable form, an isotope, in which an electron is ejected but trapped in the crystal structure. By stimulating the release of these atoms through luminescence tells, it is possible to work out how long the quartz has be exposed or shaded form the cosmic rays. Michael Welland, in his book ‘Sand’ (page 25) refers to this and for a site with good detail to explain the process at the time of writing, click here.

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