Articles | Volume 8, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-8-1-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-8-1-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
07 Jan 2026
Research article |
| 07 Jan 2026
| 07 Jan 2026
Rapid dose rate estimation for trapped charge dating using pXRF measurements of potassium concentration
Sam Woor
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Department of Geoscience, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbottsford, BC V27 7M7, Canada
Mitch K. D'Arcy
Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
Olav B. Lian
Department of Geoscience, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbottsford, BC V27 7M7, Canada
Maria Schaarschmidt
Department of Geoscience, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbottsford, BC V27 7M7, Canada
Julie A. Durcan
School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
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Short summary
We show that portable X-ray fluorescence can be used to rapidly (ca. 90 s) estimate the rate of background radioactivity in sediment used to calculate burial ages in trapped charge dating studies. This procedure involves inputting a measurement of potassium concentration into a set of simple regression equations, defined by a large radionuclide dataset. Results show good agreement with high-precision methods. Our rapid method will help to quickly generate burial age estimates.
We show that portable X-ray fluorescence can be used to rapidly (ca. 90 s) estimate the rate of...
