Articles | Volume 8, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-8-223-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-8-223-2026
Research article
 | 
07 Apr 2026
Research article |  | 07 Apr 2026

Dating Late Pleistocene pluvial lake shorelines in the Great Basin, USA using rock surface luminescence dating techniques: developing new approaches for challenging lithologies

Christina M. Neudorf, Teresa Wriston, Geraint T. H. Jenkins, and Sebastien Huot

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Cited articles

Adams, K. D. and Rhodes, E. J.: Late Pleistocene to present lake-level fluctuations and Pyramid and Winnemucca lakes, Nevada, USA, Quaternary Res., 92, 146–164, https://doi.org/10.1017/qua.2018.134, 2019. 
Adams, K. D. and Wesnousky, S. G.: Shoreline processes and the age of the Lake Lahontan highstand in the Jessup embayment, Nevada, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 110, 1318–1223, https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1998)110<1318:SPATAO>2.3.CO;2, 1998. 
Adams, K. D., Goebel, T., Graf, K., Smith, G. M., Camp, A. J., Briggs, R. W, and Rhode, D.: Late Pleistocene and early Holocene lake-level fluctuations in the Lahontan Basin, Nevada: Implications for the distribution of archaeological sites, Geoarchaeology, 23, 608–643, https://doi.org/10.1002/gea.20237, 2008. 
Ageby, L., Brill, D., Angelucci, D. E., Brückner, H., and Klasen, N.: Investigating optical dating of carbonate-rich cobbles from a river terrace: A pilot study from the Mula Valley, Spain, Radiat. Meas., 166, 106962, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2023.106962, 2023. 
Ageby, L., Shanmugavela, J., Jain, M., Murray, A. S., and Rades, E. F.: Towards the optically stimulated luminescence dating of unheated flint, Quat. Geochronol., 79, 101471, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2023.101471, 2024. 
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Short summary
This study examines the feasibility of dating beach ridges associated with pluvial lake highstands in the Great Basin, USA, using rock surface luminescence dating techniques. Limestone and volcanic rock lithologies prominent in this region pose challenges, but preliminary measurements show promise. We show that ages derived from beach ridge gravel rocks record the timing of lake highstands as well as climatically driven soil formation processes.
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