Thermoluminescence of Mg-rich olivine

Olivine is a silicate mineral widely distributed in terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments, whose properties are strongly influenced by chemical composition and defect structure. In this work, the structural, thermal and thermoluminescence properties of a Mg-rich natural olivine were investigated. Chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence and ICP-OES revealed minor elements such as Ni, Mn and Ca incorporated into the olivine lattice, while SEM–EDS confirmed the predominance of the forsterite phase. X-ray diffraction and thermal analyses demonstrated a single-phase crystalline structure with high thermal stability up to 1000 °C. Thermoluminescence measurements revealed the need to sensitize the sample before initiating TL characterization. Sensitization was performed using 20 cycles of irradiation and heating. Four glow peaks between 80 and 300 °C after sensitization, with a dominant and thermally stable peak near 210 °C. For dosimetric characterization, the peak III presented stability to 10 days and two components in dose-response experiment, with minimal detectable dose to 20 mGy. Kinetic analysis indicated that this peak originates from two overlapping electron traps with activation energies of approximately 1.25 and 1.39 eV. These results initially aimed at characterizing the thermoluminescent properties of olivines, revealing some parameters of the traps responsible for the signal. • Structural and thermoluminescence properties of Mg-rich natural olivine were investigated • A dominant thermally stable TL peak was identified near 210 °C • The main TL peak originates from two deep electron traps • Trap depths of ∼1.25 and 1.39 eV were determined by complementary kinetic methods • Results highlight defect-controlled luminescence in natural silicate materials