Bypassing the Suess-effect: Age determination of charcoal kiln remains using OSL dating

Moayed, Nasrin Karimi; Vandenberghe, Dimitri; Deforce, Koen; Bastiaens, Jan; Ghyselbrecht, Elke; Debeer, Ann-Eline; Smedt, Philippe De; Neer, Wim Van; Grave, Johan De

doi:10.1016/j.jas.2020.105176

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Additionally, a set of kilns were sampled to explore the potential of Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) [47] dating for the age determination of charcoal kilns. OSL dates refer to the time that has elapsed between the zeroing event in the past (in this case, heat exposure of the underlying sediment), and the time of sampling and analysis (2020 CE).…”

Section: Chronology Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In each selected kiln, a hand-made pit was dug (c. 50 × 50 cm until reaching bedrock) in the center of the platforms and the samples were recovered from the freshly opened profile using sampling tubes (5 cm diameter, 15 cm long). OSL dates were obtained as outlined by Karimi et al [47] and involved equivalent dose determination using sand-sized quartz and the single-aliquot regenerative dose protocol [48,49]. Dose rates were derived from the specific radionuclide activities as obtained through gamma-ray spectrometry [50].…”

Section: Chronology Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Woodland Management as Major Energy Supply during the Early Industrialization: A Multiproxy Analysis in the Northwest European Lowlands

Oliveira

Bouquerel

Rochel

et al. 2022

Land

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Wood and charcoal were key sources of energy during early industrialization in Europe (18th century), preceding the large-scale exploitation of fossil coal. Past timber harvesting implied land transformation and woodland resources management. Therefore, relict charcoal kilns and historical documents of forest management are important sources of information about past woodland composition and structure. However, ancient charcoal kilns are poorly documented in temperate woodlands in the lowlands of western Europe, especially combined with historical written sources. In this study, charcoal production was investigated in an area in NE France, by combining charcoal and historical sources analysis, along with innovative dating methodologies. Thus, by using both radiocarbon and optically-stimulated luminescence dating, we showed that the activity lasted until recent times (19th–early 20th centuries) and Carpinus was the dominant taxon in charcoal assemblage. Moreover, kiln attributes seemed to be independent of topographical variables. Woodlands in this area were subject to a coppice-with-standards management, where small diameter wood was preferred to produce charcoal and large diameter stems, mainly Quercus and Fagus, were traded as timber. The dominance of Carpinus is rather uncommon in charcoal studies but supports the importance of Carpinus as fuelwood since the Middle Ages, as confirmed by many written sources.

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Section: Chronology Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Chronology Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Woodland Management as Major Energy Supply during the Early Industrialization: A Multiproxy Analysis in the Northwest European Lowlands

Oliveira

Bouquerel

Rochel

et al. 2022

Land

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“…(b) illustrates the various transport agencies that can lead to daylight exposure of mineral grains before final burial (gravity acts as an independent transport agency only on high gradients). (a) Preheat plateaus for sand-sized quartz extracted from loess (D38141 95 , coversand (OS-B 96 ) and heated sediment from a charcoal kiln (GLL-184301 291 ). For all three samples the De is independent of preheat temperature over a wide temperature interval (dashed line).…”

Section: Glossarymentioning

confidence: 99%

Optically stimulated luminescence dating using quartz

Murray

Arnold

Buylaert

et al. 2021

Nat Rev Methods Primers

146

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Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) signals from quartz can be used to determine the timing of deposition of sedimentary archives. OSL dating uses the accumulation of energy stored in a crystal structure to measure time. This stored energy is absorbed from ionising radiation, and is released (reset) by heat or daylight. The total energy (dose) absorbed since last resetting is measured using OSL, and divided by the rate of storage (dose rate) to give the time elapsed from the last heating or daylight exposure. In this Primer, we introduce the quartz OSL method and outline the signal resetting processes.We describe the origins and quantification of the dose rate and describe the daylight-sensitive OSL signal most appropriate to dose estimation. The most widely used dose measurement method is then introduced, together with quality-control procedures. A broad set of geological and archaeological studies are used to illustrate the wide range of potential applications, and we describe the challenges arising from different deposition environments and summarize evidence for the precision and accuracy of published ages. Uncertainties and minimum reporting are discussed together with methodological limitations, particularly when applied to young and old sediments. Finally, we highlight the anticipated future developments in the field.

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“…However, in the northern hemisphere, the study of CK remains, which testify to a major development of charcoal manufacturing in the last centuries, i.e. between the seventeenth and nineteenth century (Davasse, 2000;Allée et al, 2010;Ludemann, 2010;Strachan et al, 2013;Raab et al, 2015;Dupin et al, 2017;Karimi Moayed et al, 2020) always faces the major issue that is the weak accuracy of dating obtained since the 1650s (Davasse, 2000;Strachan et al, 2013;Py-Saragaglia et al, 2017;Deforce et al, 2020;Karimi Moayed et al, 2020). Poor accuracy leads to strong wiggles in the calibration curve creating a "radiocarbon plateau", which are aggravated first by the "De vries effect", i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…New experiments are increasingly implemented to refine the chronology of modern charcoal production. Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) method, for example, has been recently successfully applied to refine the dating of modern CKs in Belgium (Karimi Moayed et al, 2020). Other testing approaches are based on dendrochronological analysis applied on remaining charcoals from CKs (Nelle, 2002;Strachan, 2011;Strachan et al, 2013;Raab et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High resolution reconstruction of modern charcoal production kilns: An integrated approach combining dendrochronology, micromorphology and anthracology in the French Pyrenees

Fouédjeu

Saulnier

Lejay

et al. 2021

Quaternary International

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Numerous charcoal kiln remains can still be found throughout the world, evidencing wood harvesting related to former industries. These remains represent effective sources and tools for studying (i) pre-industrial pressures on forest resources and (ii) past strategies related to woodland management. However, radiocarbon dating (AMS), which is the main tool to reconstruct the chronology of past charcoal manufacturing activity, doesn't provide sufficiently accurate dating, especially for the post-1650 period, due to the broad probability range of the dates resulting from wiggles in the calibration curve. In order to overcome the radiocarbon dating limitation and therefore refine the chronology of modern charcoal manufacturing, this paper proposes to apply an integrated approach combining archaeology, micromorphology, anthracology and dendrochronology. To characterise the archaeological record of a target charcoal kiln terrace from the "Forêt de Bernadouze", located in a historical iron production valley of the Northern Pyrenees, we combined classical stratigraphic analysis with a micromorphological study. The results highlight the multiperiod nature of the terrace, i.e. a palimpsest of multiple charcoal production episodes, revealing two major phases marked by an abandonment period between them. Subsequently, we constructed a beech charcoal-ring (n=49) chronology cross-dated with the new "Forêt de Bernadouze" reference chronology from freshly felled, living beech trees (n=24) to obtain the annual resolution of charcoal ring formation. Based on the new reconstructed master chronology covering the 1879-2016 period, we were able to calibrate the charcoal-ring chronology for the 1881-1941 period. Consequently, we (i) dated the charcoal production activity performed on the target terrace during the 1924-1942 period and (ii) identified a shift in the rate of use of the terrace, from one-off to high-intensive use. This study also provides new insights regarding (i) the particular nature of the archaeological record and (ii) the operating and timing of past charcoal-making practices in connection with silvicultural treatments.

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Bypassing the Suess-effect: Age determination of charcoal kiln remains using OSL dating

Cited by 13 publications

References 58 publications

Woodland Management as Major Energy Supply during the Early Industrialization: A Multiproxy Analysis in the Northwest European Lowlands

Woodland Management as Major Energy Supply during the Early Industrialization: A Multiproxy Analysis in the Northwest European Lowlands

Optically stimulated luminescence dating using quartz

High resolution reconstruction of modern charcoal production kilns: An integrated approach combining dendrochronology, micromorphology and anthracology in the French Pyrenees

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