Quartz grains from sediments in Japan are derived from complex mixtures of sources, including volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. We have measured the OSL signal of quartz grains from modern coastal sediments derived from different source rocks and compared these characteristics with the likely source. Each sample shows a different combination of various OSL components. It is concluded that the source rock affects the characteristics of the OSL components from quartz grains in Japanese sediments. By comparing the LM-OSL signals from volcanic sources with those from various source rocks, it can be deduced that quartz which has a higher fast component ratio is more suitable for dating. We also conclude that volcanic source areas should be avoided.

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