IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR RADIATIONS ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL DATING - APPLICATION TO CABO FRIO SEDIMENTS DATING.

• Grant number: 16/20384-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): November 10, 2016
• Effective date (End): February 16, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Nuclear Physics
• Principal Investigator: Shigueo Watanabe
• Grantee: Lucas Sátiro Do Carmo
• Supervisor: Regina Dewitt
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Research place: East Carolina University (ECU), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/21707-0 - IMPORTANCE OF NUCLEAR RADIATIONS ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL DATING - APPLICATION TO CABO FRIO SEDIMENTS DATING., BP.DR

Abstract

The sea level fluctuation that took place in the last three decades of Ninetieth Century - played an important role in the evolution and formation of Brazilian coastal plains. In the beginning, only geomorphological criterion has been used in its study. Any way, before and around 1960 only few investigation existed concerning the sea level fluctuation in the Quaternary. Starting on 1974 a large number of worker engaged in such investigation, particularly concerning sea fluctuation during last 7,000 years, along southeastern and southern coasts. Such studies have been carried based on sedimentological and biological evidences. Dating of past sea levels relative to the present one has been obtained from incrustation of gastropods and from fossilized Callichirus tubes in the hydrodynamical sediments structures. The position of some of the old sambaquis relative the actual sea coast line also has been used to infer relative sea level in the past. In the last 7,000 years organic materials have been found and dated by radiocarbon method. In the period prior to 7,000 years , in few cases the radioactivity method has been used, but anyway not enough absolute dating could be carried out. Specially for before and around 120.000 years BP no dating result of coastal plain sediments or other materials is available. In the present work is wanted to investigate dunes of Cabo Frio/Arraial do Cabo, Rio de Janeiro. They are over than 15 km length from the Cabo Frio coast until Arraial do Cabo. The dunes in Cabo Frio are called as "active dunes" for being highly influenced to the wind action. There is also a formation known as Dama Branca that seems to have a quite old layer. Between Cabo Frio and Arraial do cabo there are dunes of 2-5 meters height with inactives sand due to vegetation. The techniques that will be used in order to perform the dating of these sediments are TL, OSL and EPR.