NCL - Netherlands Centre for Luminescence dating

Wageningen University hosts the Netherlands Centre for Luminescence dating and its facilities. The NCL is a national collaboration with our partners Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE), Deltares, Leiden University, Utrecht University, University of Amsterdam (IBED), TNO-Geological Survey of the Netherlands, and Wageningen Environmental Research.

Luminescence dating

Luminescence dating determines the last exposure to light or heat of natural minerals, mainly quartz and feldspar. Thereby the method can be used to determine the time of deposition and burial of sediments, or the time of baking of ceramic artefacts (pottery, brick). The method has a wide age range, covering the period from a few years to half a million years. Luminescence dating is ideally suited for aeolian and coastal deposits, but is increasingly and successfully used for a wide range of other depositional environments (e.g. fluvial, colluvial, anthropogenic). Luminescence dating in the context of soil science are relatively new, and provides many opportunies for innovative research.

Main aims of the NCL:

• Develop new and improved methods for luminescence dating
• Make luminescence dating widely available for Netherlands research.

More information

Please visit our dedicated website to learn more about this facility and the services it provides.