Use of signal subtraction methods in ESR dating of burned flint

Geological samples of chert display some of the characteristics of electron spin resonance (ESR) signals of quartz. When chert is heated in a fireplace, most of these signals are annealed. The signals grow again in fire-heated chert buried in archaeological sites, as a result of internal and external radiation doses. The date of the heating event can be determined from the acquired dose (AD) and the dose rate. The E′ and Al signals are best …