Thermoluminescence can be used to date materials containing crystalline minerals to a specific heating event. When a specimen is reheated, the trapped energy is released in the form of light (thermoluminescence) as the electrons escape. The amount of light produced is a specific and measurable phenomenon.

What type of dating method is fluorine dating an example?

Fluorine analysis can be used only as a relative dating method because the rate of decay and the amount of dissolved minerals in the ground water varies from site to site. In other words, the biochemical clock that this method relies on runs at a different rate in different environments.