ESR dating: is it still an ‘experimental’ technique?

Nearly 25 years ago, Motoji Ikeya demonstrated the potential of ESR dating. From a single substance (stalagmitic carbonate) and a single site (Akiyoshi Cavern), the field has grown to include materials from all over the world and time periods from a few thousand years ago to several million years ago. A vigorous program of instrumentation development has increased the precision of measurements as well as opening up new ways of collecting and interpreting spectra. Yet there are still references to ESR dating as an ‘experimental’ technique, one which cannot be trusted to produce dates that are accurate or precise. This paper discusses areas for which this is true and suggests what should be done to convince skeptics. Other areas for which the evidence suggests that ESR is at least as reliable as ‘standard’ methods will also be covered.