Review on dating methods: Numerical dating in the quaternary geology of High Asia

Abstract

Over the past few years, OSL and TCN datings of glacial material from High Asia have come into fashion. To this day, however, these techniques do not permit safe calibration. The intensity of the cosmic ray flux is being modulated by the solar and terrestrial magnetic fields and their secular fluctuations in the past. So far, these variations cannot be converted into the respective local TCN production rates for High Asia. We have reason to believe that the ages that are being calculated despite these uncertainties are generally overestimated. This assessment is supported by conventional radiocarbon dates and above all by the glacial chronology developed independently on the basis of the Quaternary geological method. The strongly emerging evidence for a much more extensive LGM glaciation of High Asia is, however, either being ignored or rejected by many authors, solely on the basis of the above-mentioned uncalibrated datings. This self-conceit based on the "dating fallacy", as we call it, should be avoided since it goes decidedly against the standards of the scientific method established in Quaternary geology and makes a fundamental scientific discussion impossible.

New findings concerning the Pleistocene Glaciation of the Leh Basin, Ladakh (34°03′ N/77°38′ E)

“…Hence the here mapped forms would be more than 20 times older than those in the Alps but they are in the same state of preservation. Taking also into account the unresolved problems concerning TCN datings in High Asia (Kuhle 2010) and the great range of data (130 -430 ka) obtained from moraine findings and an alluvial fan it seems very unlikely that the great ages published by Owen et al (2006) are associated to the last glaciation of the Upper Indus-Valley. The recent paper first focuses on the question of "what", i. e. the description of the glacialgeomorphology and the extent of former glaciation.…”

Geomorphologic Case Studies on the Current and Former Glacier Dynamics in High Asia

“…they led to too old ages (cf. Kuhle and Kuhle, 2010). Thus, by means of 14C-datings of moraines in the KhumbuHimal, a snowline (ELA)-depression up to 500 m has been evidenced during the Neoglacial period c. 2.1 and 4.2 ka ago; whilst the ELAdepressions according to OSL-and TCN-data amounted to c. 16-23 ka, i.e.…”

“…In the meantime this has been proved by more than 1000 TCN-datings from High Asia concerned here, which are inconsistent to such a degree that they do not indicate a coherent picture of the glacial glaciation (see below section 5), though the authors [13][14][15][16][17][18][19] have tried to obtain this, but in an inadmissible way with regard to the method. None of these authors considers the Quaternary-Geological data in hand concerning the maximum glacier extent [12,[20][21][22][23][24]. Because they completely ignore these empirical facts and they exclude the polyglacial development of their regularly much too high ages against the glaciological chronology; that means against a doubtless stratigraphy.…”

“…].Thus for the TCN-dating-tests in High Asia a strong over-dating is probable (i.e. the TCN-ages are too high) [21,22].…”

Cosmogenic dating of rock avalanches constraining Quaternary stratigraphy and regional neotectonics in the Argentine Central Andes (32° S)

“…Furthermore, dating techniques have their own advantages and disadvantages, rigorous procedures, limitations, and errors, which can make the selected method controversial. Indeed, several calibrations must be taken into account, and parameters such as corrections and errors in measurements have to be considered in order to increase the confidence level on the numerical dating (Aitken, 1990;Gosse and Phillips, 2001;Kuhle and Kuhle, 2010;Rhodes, 2011). This paper reviews the chronostratigraphy of six rock-avalanche deposits clustered in the northern extreme of the Cordon del Plata range that are related to two of the glacial outwash deposits previously studied (Espizúa and Bigazzi, 1998).…”