External dose rate determinations for ESR dating at Bau de l’Aubesier, Provence, France

At Bau de l’Aubesier, Provence, France, Mousterian artefacts and human teeth occur in inhomogeneous (“lumpy”) sedimentary deposits that include bone and tooth fragments. Due to uranium (U) uptake by the bones and teeth, the external dose rate experienced by the teeth has changed over time. Such changes must be considered when calculating thermoluminescence (TL) ages for burnt flint artefacts or electron spin resonance (ESR) ages for the teeth …