This study investigates the Khur Basin in central Iran, a crucial area for understanding landscape history, past environmental changes, and potential human migration. By analysing the sedimentary archives and mapping landforms, six stages of landscape development were identified, linked to the climate shifts over the late Quaternary period. The findings provide a detailed understanding of how a desert environment, including alluvial fans, dunes, and playas, developed in response to changing climates.

We tested the reliability of infrared radiofluorescence (IR-RF) dating of K-feldspar on samples of known age. We compare several measurement protocols and analysis variants and determine the most appropriate version. Additionally, we compare these results with those obtained using infrared photoluminescence (IRPL), an alternative dating method for K-feldspar, for the same samples. Our results confirm the dating potential of IR-RF and highlight similarities and differences to other methods.

The µDose system is an innovative analytical instrument developed for the cost- and time-efficient determination of environmental radionuclide concentrations required for the calculation of sedimentation ages in palaeo-environmental and geo-archaeological research. The results of our study suggest that accuracy and precision of µDose measurements are comparable to those of well-established methods and that the new approach shows the potential to become a standard tool in environmental dosimetry.