Abstract
Optical bleaching of quartz may be incomplete due to decreased daylight intensity and narrower wavelength spectrum in water column, leading to age overestimation in young fluvial sediments. This hypothesis was tested on a low energy slack water deposits from Kaveri Basin in south India using the SAR protocol. Various tests suggest successful application of SAR on quartz from the study area despite low sensitivity and few numbers of bright grains. Partial bleaching can be ruled out if using SAR on small aliquots. The results suggest a uniform residual luminescence and a common sedimentary condition in this area. Due to partial bleaching, the lowest values of palaeodoses should be considered in preference to the average values.