DATING TOOLS
absolute dating
period - 0 - 13.7 b. bp
mode - physical properties of item being dated provide a numerical age
synonyms - chronometric dating, calendar dating, numerical dating
aeolian geomorphology - see geomorphology
mode - wind generated change
materials - sediments, quartz grains, soils, loess, sand dunes
measures - wind history, erosion, deposition, climate change, environmental dynamics
age equivalence dating
mode - contemporaneity established age association
age equivalent stratigraphic markers
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - widespread physical remains of dated events or horizons provide
age equivalence to the statigraphic column
26Al/10Be surface exposure dating - see 26Al dating, 10Be/9Be dating
26Al dating
period - 100 to 1 m. bp
mode - cosmogenic alpha ray in situ exposure produces spallation accumulation with
burial stoppage or exhumation initiation
materials - glass, sediments, quartz grains, marine sediments, glacial ice, quartz in
rock exposures, corals, desert glass, manganese nodules, alluvial fans
measures - desert glass histories of exposure, growth rate of manganese nodule,
faulting slip rates, sedimentation and erosion rates, early man, glacial histories,
landform-evolution
synonyms - 26Al/10Be surface exposure dating
labs - LDEO Cosmogenic Nuclide Group
alkenone analysis
mode - biochemical record varies with time
materials - ocean sediments, phytoplankton, sapropels
measures - sea surface temperature, CO2 and nutrient availability, paleoclimate
allostratigraphy
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - a mappable stratiform body of sedimentary rock defined and identified on the
basis of
bounding discontinuities (
materials - alluvial and lacustrine deposits, glacial deposits, discontinuous terrace deposits
measures - emplacement of alluvial and lacustrine deposits in a graben, physical
records of glaciations, emplacement of discontinuous terrace deposits
26Al/26Mg dating
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
mode - extinct radionuclide 26Al produced an excess of 26Mg
materials - meteorites, feldspar, CAIs (Ca-Al-rich inclusions), chondrules, plagioclase,
eucrites, chondrites, achondrites, pre-solar nebula fossils, hibonite, ureilite, angrites,
melilite, anorthite, olivine, mesosiderite, pyroxene
measures - early solar system, solar nebula dynamics, meteorite ages relative to CAIs
labs - Isotope Laboratory of
the Department of Geosciences and
and
Planetary Sciences at the
amino acid geochemistry - see amino acid racemization
amino acid geochronology - see amino acid racemization
amino acid paleothermometry - see amino acid racemization, paleothermometry
amino acid racemization
period -
asparagine - 0 - 25000 bp
isoleucine - 5000 - 2 m. bp
mode - when the organism dies, control ceases and the ratio of D/L amino acids
moves slowly toward equilibrium
materials - desert varnish, proteins, tissues, bones, shells, sediments, organic
substances, dentine, eggshells, ostracodes
measures - age, authenticity, age at death, sedimentation rates, date of death,
climate change, temperature history
synonyms - ostrich eggshell dating, L-amino/D-amino ratio, eggshell dating,
amino acid geochemistry, amino acid paleothermometry, amino acid geochronology,
aminostratigraphy, aminochronology
labs – 1) Amino Acid Geochronology
Laboratory –
aminochronology - see amino acid racemization
aminostratigraphy - see amino acid racemization
ammonite-zone dating
period - 65 m. - 400 m. bp
mode - genera-specific horizon markers
materials - marine sediments, ammonites
measures - paleoecology, sediment emplacement
annually laminated sediments - see varve chronology
anthropological age analysis
period - 0 - 100000 bp
mode - skeletal age related changes
materials - bone, teeth
measures - body age
synonyms - anthropological method
anthropological dating
period - 30000 - 4 m. bp
mode - hominid skeletal differences
anthropological genetics - see molecular anthropology
anthropological method - see anthropological age analysis
anthropology
period - 0 - 4 m. bp
mode - study of man
apatite fission track dating – see low-temperature thermochronology, fission track dating
aqueous geochemistry
labs - Aqueous
Geochemistry Laboratory,
40Ar/39Ar - see argon-40/argon-39 dating
40Ar/39Ar geochronology - see argon-40/argon-39 dating
40Ar/39Ar thermochronology - see argon-40/argon-39 dating
archaeobotany - see paleobotany
archaeological pedology - see pedoarchaeology
archaeology
period - 0 - 35000 bp
mode - study of recent human development
labs - Archaeology & Quaternary Research Laboratory (AQRL), Department of
Earth & Environmental Systems at
archaeomagnetic dating - see paleomagnetic dating
archaeometry
period - 0 - 35000 bp
mode - scientific techniques and methodologies applied to archaeology
labs - University of Missouri-Columbia, Archaeometry Laboratory
archaeozoology - see zooarchaeology
argon-39 dating
period - 40 - 2000 bp
mode - cosmogenic atmospheric
materials - ground water, ocean water, ice
measures - isolation ages of deep and bottom waters, ice coring applications,
hydrologic studies, ocean water circulation and mixing
argon-40/argon-39 dating
period - 2000 - 4600 m. bp
mode - irradiated potassium-40 changes to argon-39 allowing exact ratio of
potassium-40 to argon-40 which is related to time passed since formation
materials - volcanic rock, lunar meteorite impact melt clasts, tephra, pumice, tuff,
sanidine, muscovite, K-feldspar, metamorphic rocks, lavas, basalts, tektites,
andesites, mica, feldspar, hornblende, boninitic pillows, pyroxenes, biotite,
plagioclase, adularia, gabbro, sericite, celadonite, meteorites, batholiths, dykes,
schists, tourmaline, amphibole, detrital minerals, sediments, artifacts, rhyolite,
alunite, natrojarosite
measures - landscape evolution, uplift history, marine sequences, trap activity,
orogenic development, exhumation, rock thermal histories, morphotectonics,
artifact-quarry sourcing, effusive emplacement, age of the Earth, formation
ages, metamorphism, crustal deformation, sedimentation, volcanic stratigraphy,
cave formation
synonyms - Ar thermochronometry, 40Ar/39Ar, 40Ar/39Ar geochronology,
argon isotopic dating
labs - 1) USGS 40-Ar/39-Ar laboratory - Menlo Park, CA
2) Berkeley Geochronology Center
argon isotopic dating - see argon-40/argon-39 dating
Ar thermochronometry - see argon-40/argon-39
artifact change - see seriation
artifact time marker
period - 0 - 1.5 m. bp
mode - an artifact type that was made by a particular culture during a limited time
period, an indication of at least the relative time of the occupation
materials - points, ceramics
synonyms - index types
association dating
mode - relatively dated item associated with an absolutely dated item
astrobiochronology
period - 0 - 25 m. bp
mode - combines biostratigraphic and cyclostratigraphic chronologies
materials - calcareous nannofossils, foraminiferas, microplankton, dinoflagellates
measures - sediment emplacement
astrochronology
period - 0 - 25 m. bp
mode - cyclostratigraphic chronology
synonyms - sonic astrochronology, gamma-ray astrochronology
astronomical dating - see cyclostratigraphy
astronomical forcing - see cyclostratigraphy
astronomically tuned timescale - see Astronomical time scale
Astronomical Polarity Time Scale (APTS)
period - 0 - 25 m. bp
mode - combines cyclostratigraphic and magnetostratigraphic dating
Astronomical time
scale (
period - 0 - 146 m. bp, plus floating calibrations thru Triassic
mode - cyclostratigraphic event chronology
synonyms - astronomically tuned timescale, orbitally tuned time scale,
orbital time scale, orbitally tuned geological timescale
astronomy dating
period - 0 - 4000 bp
mode - astronomical consistencies change over time, compares current to past
changes in the angle of the ecliptic, heliacal rising of Sirius, last sighting of the
Lunar crescent each month
materials -
astronomical artifacts,
measures - building age
authenticity dating
mode - age related changes
materials - fine art, documents, wood, ceramic, cast metal, artifacts
measures - age, material availability
Bayesian Chronological Modelling
period - 0 - 10000 bp
mode - computer enhanced high precision dating using numerous low precision dates
measures - cultural chronologies
7Be dating
period - 0 - 1 bp
mode - atmospheric cosmogenic
materials - sediments, surface waters, rock varnish
measures - erosion rates, atmospheric and hydrologic processes
10Be/10B dating
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
mode – extinct radionuclide 10Be produced excess 10B
materials - meteorites, CAIs, chondrites, hibonite
measures - early solar system
10Be/9Be dating
period - 0 – 14 m. bp
mode - atmospheric and surface cosmogenic
materials - sediments, ice/rainwater, desert glass, manganese nodules, quartz,
lacustrine diatomites, pelite, corals, alluvial fans, glacial ice
measures - histories of exposure, temporal variations in ice, geomorphism,
deposition rates, growth rate of manganese nodule, faulting slip rates, transport,
denudation rates, sedimentation rates, erosion rates, glacial histories,
solar activity
synonyms - beryllium dating, Al26/Be10 surface exposure dating
labs - LDEO Cosmogenic Nuclide Group
benthic isotope stratigraphies
mode - 18O and 13C stratigraphies
materials - marine sediments
measures - deep-water circulation
beryllium dating - see 10Be/9Be
biochronology
period - 0 - 600 m. bp
mode - chronologies based on variations in fossil assemblages
materials - fossils, sediments
measures - age transitions, extinction events, faunachrons
biogeography - see paleobiogeography
biorange markers
mode - biostratigraphic event markers with geographic range limitations
biostratigraphy
period - 0 - 600 m. bp
mode - index fossil markers
materials - sediments, tephra, fossils, microfossils
measures - terrestrial and marine palaeoenvironmental records, crustal dynamics,
paleoclimate, range changes, evolution, extinctions, sedimentation rates
synonyms - fossil reconstruction, index fossil dating, microfossil stratigraphy
biozone
period - 0 - 600 m. bp
mode - index species first appearance designated with overlap
materials - fossils, sediments
measures - range, interval, assemblage, evolution, abundance
synonyms - Oppel zone
body temperature time of death
period - 0 - 20 hr
mode - core temperature drops ~1.5 degree C/hr
materials - human body
measures - human time of death
bomb-radiocarbon dating
period - 0 - 60 bp
mode - thermonuclear production of 14C record
materials - bone, teeth, organics, eye crystallin, lipids, hair, tooth enamel
measures - tooth formation age, age at death, date of death, year of birth,
wine age
Bond events
period - 0 - 11000 bp
mode - 1500 year cyclic climatic events
materials - ice-rafted debris
measures - climate changes
14C dating - see radiocarbon dating
41Ca dating
period - 50000 - 1 m. bp
mode – surface cosmogenic
materials - bone, limestone
measures - early humans, rock exposure
synonyms - radiocalcium dating
41Ca/41K dating
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
mode – extinct radionuclide 41Ca produced excess 41K
materials - meteorites, CAIs, hibonite, chondrites
measures - early solar system, solar nebula
calendar dating - see absolute dating
calibrated relative dating
mode - relative dates calibrated by chronometric dating
carbon 14 dating - see radiocarbon dating
carbon-isotope analysis
period - 0 - 100 m. bp
mode - variations in 13C signal and 13C/12C ratios
materials - carbonates, foraminiferas, nannofossils, organics, alkenone
measures - marine reservoir signal, diet, taste, paleoclimate, ocean circulation
changes, obliquity forcing
labs – 1) University of Arkansas Stable Isotope Laboratory
2) Stable
isotope facility,
cathodoluminescence - see optically stimulated luminescence
cation ratio dating - see varnish stratigraphy
cesium137 dating
period - 0 - 60 bp
mode - nuclear fallout markers
materials - lake sediments, sediments, soils
measures - sediment accumulation rates and patterns, soil erosion, radioactive fallout,
deposit age
synonyms - Cs137 dating
chemical isotope dating - see isotopic dating
chemical transformations
period - 0 - 6000 bp
mode - molecular changes over time
materials - food residues, chemical residues, ink, petroleum products
measures - production age, cultural change, pollutant analysis, authenticity
chemostratigraphy
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - stratigraphic chemical variations
materials - magma, tephra, sediments, turbidites
measures - tectonics, sediment age, barren sequences
chlorine 36 dating - see 36Cl dating
chlorine isotope dating - see 36Cl dating
chronometric dating - see absolute dating
chronostratigraphy
period - 0 - 600 m. bp
mode - provides a means of organizing strata into units based on their age relations.
A chronostratigraphic unit is a body of rock established to serve as the material
reference
for all rocks formed during the same span of time. (
measures - eonothem, erathem, system, series, stage, and chronozone
36Cl dating
period - 0 - 2 m. bp
mode - cosmogenic exposure and nuclear industrial/weapon production
materials - polar ice, ice, groundwater, soil, recent waters, sediments, lava flows,
teeth, granite, alluvial fans, basalt
measures - nuclear industry pollution, hydrogeology, rock slope failures,
glacial advance, meteor impacts, atomic bomb dosimetry, erosion rates,
fault dynamics
synonyms - radiochlorine, chlorine isotope dating, chlorine 36 dating
labs - LDEO Cosmogenic Nuclide Group
climatic time series - see cyclostratigraphy
climatostratigraphy
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - climate influenced traces left in the geologic column
materials - sedimentary rock
measures - glacial events, climatic phases, global climatostratigraphic scale
36Cl/36S dating
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
mode – extinct radionuclide 36Cl produced excess 36S
materials - meteorites, CAIs, chondrites, wadalite, sodalite, chondrules
measures - early solar system
conodont-zone dating
period – 250 - 600 m. bp
mode - genera-specific chronostratigraphic index markers
materials - marine sediments, conodont faunas
measures - paleoecology, deposit age
content comparison - see image dating
contextual placement - see image dating
coral dating - see uranium/thorium dating
coral reef dating
period - 0 - 2 m. bp
mode - reef expansion/repression
materials - coral reefs
measures - major meltwater pulses, glacial cycles, sea levels, seafloor tectonics,
uplift, sinkage
coral ring dating
mode - annual rings or bands
materials - coral, ritual coral sites and structures
measures - climate change, artifact age
corrosion age models
materials - metals, underground storage tanks, artifacts
measures - age
cosmic ray dating
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
mode - direct formation of fission tracks by cosmic rays
materials - lunar samples, meteorites
measures - crystallization age, early solar system
cosmic ray exposure age - see cosmogenic dating
cosmochronology
period - 4500 - 4600 m. bp
materials - lunar samples, meteorites
measures - early solar system
cosmogenic dating
period - 0 - 10 m. bp
mode - cosmic rays surface/atmospheric exposure isotope production
materials - meteorites, corals, terrestrial rocks, plagioclase, olivine, sediments,
teeth, lava flows and dams, moraines, moraines, alluvial-fan surfaces, desert
pavements, hillslope deposits, debris flows, fault scarps, stone tools,
petroglyphs, geoglyphs
measures - erosion rates, landforms, uplift rates, denudation, geomorphism,
exhumation rates, surface exposure ages, impact crater age, paleoaltimetry,
climate change
synonyms - cosmogenic isotope dating, cosmogenic nuclide dating,
cosmic ray exposure age, surface-exposure dating
labs – 1) LDEO Cosmogenic Nuclide Group
2) Cosmogenic
Nuclide Dating Laboratory –
cosmogenic isotope dating - see cosmogenic dating
cosmogenic nuclide dating - see cosmogenic dating
cosmological time scale
period - 0 - 13.7 b. bp
measures - evolution of universe, galaxies, solar systems
cross-dating
period - 0 - 5700 m. bp
mode - known dated artifact may transfer date to related structures
measures - artifacts, fossils, tree-rings, geologic column
Cs137 dating - see cesium137 dating
cultural affiliation dating
period - 0 - 1 m. bp
mode - cultural artifact comparison and identification
measures - cultures, migrations, invasions
cyclicity - see cyclostratigraphy
cyclostratigraphy
period - 0-500 m. bp
mode - periodicities of precession, obliquity, and eccentricity of the Earth's orbit
produce cyclic changes in climate remarked in sediments
materials - sediments, clays, carbonates, sapropels, CaCO, limestones, foraminifera,
plankton, dinoflagellates, tephra, nannofossils, biogenic silica, dust, organic carbon
measures - color reflectance, paleoclimate, paleoceanography, drought frequency,
seafloor spreading rate, density, insolation, dust content, magnetic susceptibility,
TOC, grain size change, light reflectance, sedimentation rates, environmental
reconstruction, clay mineralogy, geochemistry, magnetic-susceptibility,
photoelectric factor, total gamma-ray
synonyms - orbital forcing, climatic time series, solar forcing, orbital tuning,
astronomical dating, orbitally tuned cyclostratigraphy, orbital stratigraphy,
orbital dating, orbitally tuned stratigraphy, Milankovitch cycles, cyclicity
Dansgaard-Oeschger Events
period - 200 - 80000 bp
mode - cyclic rapid cold climatic events
materials - ice cores, marine sediments, lake sediments, pollen, foraminifera,
speleothems
measures - warming and cooling periods, Heinrich events, sea level changes,
climate modeling
dating
period - 0 – 13.7 b. bp
mode - determination of a time, date, or range of dates relevant to an occurence
deglaciation chronology
period - 9000 - 14000 bp
mode - ice-front accumulation markers
materials - glacial deposits, moraines
measures - uplift rates, glacial and sea level fluctuations, paleoclimate events
dendroarchaeology - see dendrochronology
dendrochronology
period - 0-12000 bp, floating sequences back into the Cretaceous Period
mode - annual growth rings are produced in the xylem of trees
materials - logs, trees, woodwork, beams
measure - rainfall, drought, heat waves, cold spells, climate, ecosystem health,
pollution of air, soil, or water, volcanic and meteoric impact events, forest
histories, solar sunspot activity, authenticity, architecture, frost rings, fires,
environmental history, historic and prehistoric structures, monsoon histories,
carbon sequestration, insect and disease stressors
synonyms - tree ring analysis, tree ring dating, dendroarchaeology
labs - 1) Tree-Ring Laboratory Department of
Geosciences -
2) Missouri Tree-Ring Laboratory
Department of Forestry,
3) B.E.T.R. Laboratory, Biogeography, Environment, and Tree-Ring Laboratory at
4) Indiana State University Biogeography and Dendrochronology Laboratory
5) University of Minnesota Center for Dendrochronology
6) Arizona Geochronology Center
–
dendroclimatology
period - 0-12000 bp
mode - annual growth rings show variations in climate
materials - logs, trees
measures - rainfall, drought, heat waves, cold spells, frost rings, climate change,
monsoon histories, climate reconstructions
labs - 1) Tree-Ring Laboratory –
dendroecology
period - 0-12000 bp
mode - annual growth rings show ecological change
materials - logs, trees
measures - ecosystem health, pollution of air, soil, or water, forest histories, fires,
environmental history, carbon sequestration, insect and disease stressors,
forest dynamics, landscape change
labs - 1) University of Minnesota Dendroecology Laboratory
dendrogeomorphology
period - 0-12000 bp
mode - annual growth rings show land-surface change
materials - exposed roots, logs, trees
measures - erosion rates, first year of root exposure, debris flows, avalanches
dentition age analysis
period - 0 - 70 yrs
mode - physical characteristics, normal development and eruption timing
materials - teeth, jaw
measure - tooth wear, mineral density, age at death
derivative dating
mode - technique dependant upon local environment thus requiring prior absolute
fixing of local environment variable before application on its own
desert varnish - see varnish stratigraphy
detrital chronometry - see detrital thermochronometry
detrital thermochronology – see detrital thermochronometry
detrital thermochronometry
period - 1 - 40 m. bp
mode - closure temperature referents
materials - sediments, zircon, apatite
measures - basin sediments, erosion, denudation rates, exhumation,
sediment provenance, landscape evolution, paleorelief, depositional age,
orogenic exhumation, basin provenance
synonym - detrital thermochronology, detrital chronometry
deuterium analysis
period - 0 - 2000 bp
materials - bristlecones
measures - climate change, water cycle
diatom-zone dating
period - 0 - 65 m. bp
mode - species-specific chronostratigraphic index markers
materials - manganese nodules, freshwater and marine muds,
silica enriched sediments
measures - palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, palaeoecologies,
paleoclimate reconstructions, lake level changes
differential weathering
mode - relative weathering indicates age or priority
materials - rock
measures - rock art
dinoflagellate-zone dating
period - 0 - 260 m. bp
mode - species-specific chronostratigraphic index markers
materials - dinoflagellates, marine sediments
measures - palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, palaeoecologies,
paleoclimate reconstructions
direct dating
mode - dating method which provides a specific date with no other referent necessary
period - 0 - 2.8 b. bp
mode -
materials - tissue samples, eggshells, bones, mtDNA, teeth, collagen, hair, bacteria,
fungi, yeasts, Neanderthals
measures - kinship, authenticity, universal ancestor, disease, parasitism, gene
appearance, lineages, genealogical structure, population size, mutation rates
and processes, effects of diets, origins and spread of agriculture, animal and
plant domestication, migrations, genetic divergence
synonyms - gene mapping, molecular clock, genetic dating, phylogenetic comparison
labs – 1)Molecular Anthropology
Laboratory –
document dating
materials - documents
measures - forensics, authenticity
Early Solar System timescale
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
ear wax age
mode - number of layers of ear wax in inner ear indicates age
materials - ear wax
measures - whales, blue whales, fin whales
ecostratigraphy
mode - faunal assemblage markers of unusual species or unusual populations of
species
materials - fossils
measures - stratigraphic succession, ecological change, transgressions, regressions
eggshell dating - see amino acid racemization
electron paramagnetic resonance - see electron spin resonance
electron spin resonance
period - 500 - 500 million bp
mode - nondestructive, radiogenic accumulation of electrons in crystalline lattice
whose magnetic resonance strength reflects time since formation
materials - coral, bones, teeth, shell, calcium carbonate in limestone, quartz, flint,
sediments, minerals, meteorites, calcite, tooth enamel, volcanic ash, feldspar, pumice
measures - mineralization, sedimentation, last heating of minerals, meteorite strikes,
earthquake activity
synonyms -
entomological time of death
mode - insect life cycle changes on recently found cadavers
materials - insects, flies, blowflies
measures - time of death
environmental archaeology
mode - umbrella for zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, pedoarchaeology
environmental release dating
materials - pollutants, soil, groundwater
measures - degradation, tree ring uptake
event chronology - see event stratigraphy
event stratigraphy
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - dated markers
materials - lake and loess sediments, K-bentonite, tephras, marine sediments,
trees, coral reefs, fossils
measures - floods, volcanics, local, regional and global, Heinrich events,
climate events, droughts, solar fluctuations, nova receptions, glaciations,
major population upheavals, asteroid collisions, extinctions, habitat changes,
meltwater pulse, faunal replacements, Dansgaard-Oeschger events,
Bond events, meteor impacts
synonyms - natural catastrophe stratigraphy, global climatic events,
isotopic event stratigraphy
excess (226)Ra - see 238U-230Th-226Ra
extinct radioisotope chronometry
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
mode - products of nova generated short-lived radionuclides indicate event
chronology
materials - meteorites, Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs), chondrules
measures - early solar system processes, planetesimal formation,
planetary melting, planetary mantle and core formation
Extinct Radionuclide Timescale
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
60Fe/60Ni dating
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
mode – extinct 60Fe produced an excess of 60Ni
materials - meteorites, eucrites, pyroxene, chondrules, troilite, magnetite,
achondrites, chondrites, sulfides, olivine, enstatite, presolar grains
measures – early solar system processes, Vesta, presolar processes
fission track dating
period - 0 to 6 b. bp
mode - radiogenic damage trails produced in glassy materials, number reflects the
time passed since last exposed to high temperatures
materials - apatite, zircon, sphene, titanite, biotite, mica, barite, epidote, garnet,
natural glasses, obsidian, pitchstone, tephras, man-made ceramics, meteorites,
lunar rocks, tektites, barren sequences, red beds
measure - sea floor spreading rates, volcanic arc motion, denudation history,
fault studies, thermal history, last firing, rates of uplift and exhumation,
sediment sourcing, depositional histories
synonyms - fission track thermochronology, fission track geochronology,
low-temperature thermochronometry
labs - Fission
Track Thermochronology Laboratory,
fission track geochronology - see geochronology, fission track dating
fission track thermochronology - see fission track dating, thermochronometry
fluorine analysis
period - 100 bp - 1 m. bp
mode - buried bone fluorapatite increase
materials - bones, teeth, antlers, pits, middens, burials
measures - contemporaneity
fluorine, uranium and nitrogen test - see U-Fl-N dating
foraminifera-zone dating
period - 0 - 360 m. bp
mode - genera-specific horizon markers
materials - foraminifera, sediments, tuffaceous sediments
measures - climate changes, salinity, Heinrich events, palaeobiogeography,
upper ocean temperatures, oceanic productivity, oceanic circulation
patterns, carbonate dissolution, palaeoecology, oil exploration,
sedimentation rates
fossil assemblages
period - 0 - 570 m. bp
mode - group-specific chronostratigraphic index markers
materials - fossils, sediments
measures - period, stage, extinction events, water depth, depositional environment,
sea-level change, biota associations
fossil reconstruction - see biostratigraphy
fungal spore zone dating
period - 0 - 400 m. bp
mode - species-specific chronostratigraphic index markers
materials - fungal spores, terrestrial sediments
measures - dryness indicator, fire indicator
synonyms - palynomorph zone dating
fusulinid-zone dating
period - 250 - 360 m. bp
mode - genera-specific horizon markers
materials - fusulinids, marine sediments
measures - age
gamma-ray astrochronology - see astrochronology
gamma ray attenuation density
period - 0 - 6 m. bp
mode - proxy record for orbital precession and obliquity
materials - marine sediments, sapropels
measures - insolation record, paleoclimate
gene mapping - see
genetic dating -
see
geoarchaeology
mode - geological archaeological artifact analysis
materials - stone tools, petroglyphs, geoglyphs
measure - surface exposure age
labs – 1) University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute
2) AQRL - Indiana State University
geochemical dating
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - geochemical variation and event markers
materials - tephra, organic carbon, rock, soil, water, meteorites, lunar samples,
biostratigraphically barren sequences
measures - early life, orbital forcing, oceanic oxygenation, early solar system,
trace elements, isotopic composition, igneous differentiation processes,
volcanism, ore deposition, climate change, lake level change
labs - 1) Aqueous
geochemistry laboratory
2) Organic Geochemistry Lab, University of Missouri-Columbia
3) KU Geology Department,
geochronology
period – 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - A geochronologic unit is a division of time distinguished on the basis of the
rock record
preserved in a chronostratigraphic unit (
measures - eon, era, period, epoch, age, and chron
synonyms - noble gas geochronology, fission track geochronology,
40Ar/39Ar geochronology, 40K/40Ar geochronology, U–Pb geochronology,
plutonic geochronology, uranium series geochronology, 210Pb geochronology,
radiocarbon geochronology, luminescence geochronology,
U/ Pb zircon geochronology, amino acid geochronology
labs – 1) Department of Geology,
2) Arizona Geochronology Center
3) Berkeley Geochronology Center
geochronometry
period - 0-4.6 b. bp
mode - A geochronometric (or chronometric) unit is an isochronous direct division of
geologic
time expressed in years, has no material referent. (
geologic chronology - see geochronology
geological time scale
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
synonyms - Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale, stratigraphic time-scale
geology
period - 0 - 4.57 b. bp
mode - study of earth change
geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS)
period - 0 - 155 m. bp
synonyms - magnetic polarity time scale, geomagnetic reversal time scale,
seafloor anomaly timescale
geomagnetic reversal time scale - see geomagnetic polarity time scale
geomagnetic time scale
period - 0 - 3.5 b. bp
geomorphology
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - landform analysis
materials - soils, sediments
measures - paleoclimates, glaciations, tectonics, landforms, settlement responses,
environmental changes, periglacial deposits, volcanism, erosion, wind and water
effects, mass wasting, weathering, desertification, paleorelief, shorelines
synonyms - glacial geomorphology, glacial geology, tectonic geomorphology,
morphostratigraphy, denudation chronology, land-uplift chronology,
paleotopography, soil geomorphology, aeolian geomorphology
geothermometry - see argon-40/argon-39
GISP2 ice core - see ice core dating
GISP2 isotope record - see ice core dating
glacial geology - see geomorphology
glacial geomorphology - see geomorphology
global climatic events
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
materials - sediments
measures - trap emissions, temperature extremes, solar flux extremes, ice ages,
meltwater pulses, forest motion, precession, obliquity, eccentricity, supervolcanoes,
desert boundary motion, Bond events, Heinrich events
synonyms - event stratigraphy
global climatostratigraphic scale - see climatostratigraphy
graptolite-zone dating
period - 417 - 505 m. bp
mode - genera-specific horizon markers
materials - graptolites, marine sediments
measures - age
GRIP ice core - see ice core dating
3H dating - see tritium analysis
hafnium-tungsten dating
period - 4.52 - 4.57 b. bp
mode - extinct Hf182 produced excess W182
materials - lunar rocks, Martian meteorites, asteroids, CAIs, meteorites,
chondrules, angrites, chondrites
measures - core formation, early planetary evolution, early solar system,
accretion, moon formation
synonyms - Hf-W dating, Hf–W chronometry
He dating - see (U-Th)/He dating, 4He/3He thermochronometry
3He dating
period - 0 - 1 m. bp
mode - surface cosmogenic nuclide
materials - surface rock, olivine, basalt
measures - erosion rates, uplift rates, fault motion
labs - LDEO Cosmogenic Nuclide Group
4He/3He thermochronometry
period - 0 - 2 m. bp
mode - U/Th production of 4He compared to artificial 3He
materials - olivine crystals in basalt, apatite, goethite
measures - fault motion, erosion, denudation, topographic changes,
thermal histories
synonyms - thermochronometry, radiogenic helium, helium dating,
helium-helium thermochronometry, helium thermochronometry,
low-temperature thermochronometry
Heinrich events
period - 12000 - 60000 bp
mode – short warming events produce markers of soil and rock from iceberg melts
materials - marine sediments, ice rafted debris, ice cores
measures - stadials and cold rebounds, moraine sequences, climatic events,
oceanic salinity, sea level, glacial climate
helioseismic dating
measures - age of the Sun
helium dating - see (U-Th)/He dating
helium-helium thermochronometry - see 4He/3He thermochronometry
helium-lead dating
period - 1 m. – 500 m. bp
mode - combined (U-Th)/Pb and (U-Th)/He methods
materials - zircon, sediments
measures – crystallization and cooling ages
synonyms - Pb/He dating
helium thermochronometry - see 4He/3He thermochronometry
Hf–W chronometry - see hafnium-tungsten dating
Hf-W dating - see hafnium-tungsten dating
high-temperature thermochronology
mode - high closure temperature dating methods
materials - zircon
measures - exhumation, denudation
hydration profiles
mode - exposed surfaces of silicates take up water from the atmosphere forming a
layer that deepens over time
materials - obsidian, quartz
synonyms - hydrogen depth profile, obsidian hydration dating, quartz hydration
dating
hydrogen depth profile - see hydration profiles
hydrogen isotope analysis
mode - isotopic variation
measures - hydrothermal alteration, ore deposition, water
labs - 1) Stable Isotope Laboratory -
hydrograph
mode - developed from various methods
measures - lake levels
ice core dating
period - 0 - 110000 bp
mode - annually laminated coring and analysis
materials - tephras, sediments, cryptotephra, ice
measures - paleoclimate, 18O/16O, isotopic events, stadials, cold events, Dansgaard-
Oeschger cycles, Heinrich events, solar activity, cosmic-ray flux, CO2 cycle,
environmental changes, oxygen isotopes, palaeotemperatures, volcanic activity,
chemical traces of eruptions, volcanism, prevailing wind patterns, climatic forcing,
meltwater spikes, ice-flow models, local climate record, interstadial correlations,
synonyms - GISP2 ice core, GRIP ice core, GISP2 isotope record
ice flow models
period - 0- 7500 bp
materials - tephra layers, ice
image dating
mode - comparisons to datable material
measures - images
synonyms - content comparison, contextual placement, style, superimposition
index fossils
period - 0- 540 m. bp
mode - short lived, widespread fossil species representative of a particular strata or
time period
index types - see artifact time marker
indirect dating - see relative dating
infrared stimulated luminescence
mode - based on the release of electrons trapped in crystal defects
materials - quartz, polymineral fine grains, sands, aeolian sand, alluvial fan deposits,
desert sands, potassium feldspars, alluvial sediments, loess, sediments, dune sands,
sediment cores, feldspar, waterlain sediments, high arctic marine sediments,
plagioclase, organic-rich sediments, reworked silty sediments, fault-related
sediments, detrital feldspars, sodium feldspars, lake-sediments
measure - palaeolimnological record, earthquake recurrence, fault movements,
catchment disturbance
synonyms - luminescence
ink dating
mode - chemical degradations of volatiles
materials - ink
measures – authenticity
inter-site patterning
measures - rock art
invertebrate paleontology
period - 0 - 600 m. bp
mode - invertebrate analysis
labs - University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute
iodine-129 dating
mode - surface cosmogenic and U238 decay
materials - granite
measures - hydrogeology
iodine-xenon dating
period – 4.52 – 4.57 b. bp
mode - extinct 129I produced excess 129Xe
materials - halite, Shallowater meteorites, enstatites, feldspar, plagioclase, lunar rocks,
chondrites, magnetite, CAIs, phosphates, meteorites, silicate, troilite, chondrules,
measures - meteorite formation, early solar system events and processes,
nebular events, parent–body processes
synonyms - I-Pu-Xe dating
I-Pu-Xe dating – see iodine-xenon dating
isotope geochemistry
period - 0 - 5.7 b. bp
mode - geological studies using stable and radiogenic isotopes
materials - rock, sediment, water, minerals, meteorites
measures - geological processes, agricultural processes, orogenesis,
early solar system, groundwater, pollution, nuclear fallout, sourcing
synonyms - isotope geology
labs - 1) Isotope Laboratory of
the Department of Geosciences and
for Space and Planetary Sciences at the
2) Isotope Geochemistry
Laboratory,
isotope geology - see isotope geochemistry
isotope stage - see marine isotope stage
isotope stratigraphy - see isotopic dating
isotopic dating - see stable isotope analysis, isotopic geochemistry
synonyms - geochemical dating, chemical isotope dating
isotopic event stratigraphy - see event stratigraphy
isotopic time scale
period - 0 - 25 m. bp
isotopic tracing
mode - isotopic signatures pass from local rock into local grown plants and animals
and its manufactures
materials - clay artifacts, fossils, nitrates, ammunition, pollutants, sediments, tephra,
magma, water
measures - forensic sourcing, migration patterns, trade, pollution, sediment sourcing,
biological sourcing, nuclear forensics, environmental monitoring, hydrology
K-Ar dating - see potassium-argon dating
K–Ar geochronology - see geochronology, potassium-argon dating
K-Ca dating
mode - radioisotope mother-daughter with stable Ca isotope comparison
materials - mica, evaporites, pegmatite, sylvite
measures - age
40K-40Ca ‘double-plus’ dating
mode - radioisotope mother-daughter two-positive ion separation
materials - muscovite, alkali feldspar
measures - age
81Kr
period - 0 - 2 m.bp
mode – atmospheric cosmogenic
materials - groundwater
measures - atmospheric abundance
synonyms - krypton-81
Kr-Kr exposure age
mode - cosmic ray surface spallation
materials - lunar rock
measures - lunar crater age
krypton-81 - see 81Kr
lacustrine sediment cores - see lake sediment successions
lake level analysis
period - 0 - 7000 bp
mode - high and low water stands
materials - sediments
measures - paleoclimate, drainage effects, paleogeography
synonyms - paleoshoreline analysis
lake sediment successions
period - 0 - 40000 bp
materials - lake sediments, pollen, aquatic fauna and flora
measures - glacial activity, paleoclimate, salinity, regional vegetational history,
paleoecology
synonyms – paleolimnology
Lamendin age
mode - dental characteristics
measures - human age at death
laminated sediments - see varve chronology
L-amino/D-amino ratio - see amino acid racemization
land-uplift chronology - see geomorphology
lead isotopic ages- see U/Pb dating, 207Pb/206Pb, 210Pb
lead-lead dating - see U/Pb dating
lead-lead isotope geochemistry
materials - igneous materials, sediments, pollutants, ammunition, bone, teeth
measures - sourcing of igneous materials, sediments, pollution, and ammunition,
migrations
lichenometry
period - 10 - 3000 bp
mode - lichen growth depth and extent, thallus grows systematically in proportion to
age
materials - lichen
measures - snow-avalanche activity, time of surface stabilization, moraines,
glaciation, glacier fluctuations, glacier advances, petroglyphs
lithodemic unit
period - 0 - 4.4 b. bp
mode - defined body of predominantly intrusive, highly deformed, and/or highly
metamorphosed rock, distinguished and delimited on the basis of rock
characteristics, generally does not conform to the Law of Superposition, with
mappability
(
materials - intrusives, gneiss, schist, plutonics, extrusives, granodiorite, diorite,
dikes, syenite, gabbro, granite, sills
measures - terranes in which rocks generally lack primary stratification, lithology, or
local and regional structure, economic resources, geologic history
lithostratigraphy
period - 0 - 4.4 b. bp
mode - unit is a stratum or body of strata, generally but not invariably layered, generally
but not invariably tabular, which conforms to the Law of Superposition and is
distinguished and delimited on the basis of lithic characteristics and stratigraphic
position (
materials - sedimentary, extrusive igneous, metasedimentary, or metavolcanic strata,
clay, gravel, till, and other unconsolidated deposits
measures - supergroups, groups, formations, members, beds, and flows
loess-chronometry
mode - tephra sandwiched between two master tephras is afforded its age by
interpolating the thicknesses of loess between them
materials - loess, tephra
measures - age
low-temperature thermochronometry - see (U-Th)/He dating, thermochronometry,
apatite fission track dating, 4He/3He thermochronometry
mode - isotopic systems with low temperature closure
materials - apatite, meteorites, sediments
measures - exhumation, magmatism, landscape evolution, tectonics, geodynamics,
surface processes, erosion rates
Lu-Hf
period - 5 m. - 500 m. bp
mode - radiochronological parent-daughter relationship
materials - garnet, eclogites
measures - high-pressure metamorphism, deformation
luminescence dating - see infrared stimulated luminescence, optical dating, TL,
optically stimulated luminescence, OSL, pulsed photostimulated luminescence,
radioluminescence, thermoluminescence
luminescence geochronology - see geochronology
lunar geologic timescale
period - 0 - 4600 m. bp
macrofossil stratigraphy - see biostratigraphy
magnetic anomaly time scale
period - 0 - 71 m. bp
magnetic lead dating
period - 0 - 2500 bp
mode - lead corrosion effect on superconductivity reflects age
materials - lead artifacts
measures - age
magnetic polarity time scale - see geomagnetic polarity time scale
magnetic reversal stratigraphy - see magnetostratigraphy
magnetic stratigraphy - see magnetostratigraphy
magnetobiostratigraphy
period - 0 - 500 m. bp
mode - combines magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy
materials - marine and continental sediments, foraminifera
measures - age
magneto(cyclo)stratigraphy
period - 0 - 500 m. bp
mode - combines magnetostratigraphy and cyclostratigraphy
materials - marine and continental sediments
measures - age
synonyms - secular variation magnetostratigraphy
magnetostratigraphy
period - 0 - 500 m. bp
mode - magnetic reversals tied to the stratigraphic column
materials - sediments, tephra, sapropels, lava flows, fossils
measures - coastal plain, terrestrial and marine palaeoenvironmental records,
traps, exhumation, oceanic productivity
synonyms - magnetic reversal stratigraphy, magnetic stratigraphy
manganese/chromium dating – see Mn/Cr dating
marine isotope stage (MIS)
period - 0 - 3 m. bp
mode - stable isotope variation
materials - marine sediments, plankton,
measures - temperatures, meltwater spikes, Heinrich events, transgressions,
Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles, climate change, glaciations,
synonyms - marine oxygen isotope stage, marine stable isotope records,
oxygen isotope stage, isotope stage
marine oxygen isotope stage - see marine isotope stage
marine stable isotope records - see marine isotope stage
Martian geologic timescale
period - 0 - 4600 m. bp
meltwater pulse
mode - occurences of rapid sea level rise
materials - coral reefs
measures - paleoclimate, glacial extent, coral reef limiter, thermohaline circulation
microbial anthropology - see molecular anthropology
microfossil stratigraphy - see biostratigraphy
micropalaeontology - see paleontology
migration analysis
measures - settlement, resettlement, expansions, arrivals, climate change
Milankovitch cycles - see cyclostratigraphy
53Mn/53Cr dating
period - 4565 m. - 4571 m. bp
mode - extinct radionuclide 53Mn produced excess 53Cr
materials - meteorites, chondrites, angrites, pyroxenes, olivine, carbonates, CAIs,
eucrites, chondrules, fayalite, achondrites, enstatites, sulfides, diogenites, pallasites,
spinel
measures - early solar system events, earth surface processes, nebular processes,
early planetary evolution, asteroid belt
molecular anthropology
mode -
materials -
measures - gene change
synonyms - anthropological genetics, microbial anthropology
labs - 1) University of Oklahoma's Molecular Anthropology Laboratories
molecular archaeology - see molecular dating
molecular clock –
see
molecular dating
period - 0 - 40000 bp
mode - residue degradation consistencies
materials - wood, starch, blood
measures - food residues, sourcing, forensic timing
synonyms - molecular archaeology, nano archaeology
morphostratigraphy - see geomorphology
nano archaeology - see molecular dating
nannofossil biostratigraphy - see nannofossil zone dating
nannofossil zone dating
period - 0 - 210 m. bp
mode - genera-specific horizon markers
materials - tephra, bentonite, marine sediments, calcareous nannoplankton,
nannofossil placoliths
measures - traps, carbonate productivity, 41-k.y. cycles, paleoecology
synonyms - nannofossil biostratigraphy
natural catastrophe stratigraphy - see event stratigraphy
Nd-Nd ratios
mode - Nd-Nd isotopic ratios of local rock is same as that grown on or made of it
materials - organics, products
measures - sourcing, migration patterns, trade, forensics
Ne-21 dating
mode - cosmogenic surface nuclide
materials - quartz, meteorites
measures - denudation, early solar system
niobium–zirconium chronometry
period - 4565 m. - 4571 m. bp
mode - extinct radionuclide 92Nb produced excess 92Zr
materials - chondrites, mesosiderites, rutile
measures - early solar system, early planetary evolution
nitrogen analysis
mode - nitrogen decreases through the decay of bone protein
materials - bone, burials
measures - later mound intrusive burials
nitrogen isotope analysis
mode - isotopic variation
materials - sediments, basalts, meteorites, soils
labs - 1) Stable Isotope Laboratory -
noble gas geochronology - see geochronology
period - 0 - 4.6 b. bp
materials - iodine, xenon, neon, krypton, argon, helium
measures - early solar system, geology, atmospherics
noble-gas thermochronology - see thermochronometry
nucleocosmochronology
measures - galaxy formation
synonyms - Th/Eu nucleocosmochronology
numerical dating - see absolute dating
18O stratigraphy - see oxygen isotope record
obsidian diffusion dating - see obsidian hydration dating
obsidian hydration dating
period - 500 - 100000 bp
mode - surface water absorption depth reflects time since exposed
materials - obsidian artifacts, flakes, volcanic glass, glass, basaltic glass,
glasses used for encasing waste, industrial glasses
measures - seismic history, temperature, humidity, paleoenvironment,
sourcing
synonyms - obsidian diffusion dating, hydration profiles
labs - 1) Archaeometry Laboratory -
18O/16O ratios - see oxygen isotope record
Oppel zone - see biozone
optical dating - see optically stimulated luminescence
optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)
period - 100 - 500000 bp
mode - radiogenic electron accumulation in crystalline defects is released when
exposed to light or lasers, amount of luminescence reflects time since last exposed
to sunlight or high heat
materials - quartz, alkali feldspars, sediments, colluvia, stone surface, rhyolites,
zircon, feldspars, coversands, aeolian sediments, dune sands, sedimentary quartz,
shoreline deposits, silty or sandy water deposited sediments, unheated sediments,
mineral crystals, fired ceramics, soils, pottery, clays, art objects, micas, mixed silicates,
sherds, quartz and feldspar rich sediments, burnt flints, sediments from archaeological
sites, calcite, fimic anthrosol, Al2O3:C, potassium feldspars, tephra glass, bricks,
granite, tsunami-laid sands, glaciofluvial sediments, buried podsols, organic-rich sediments,
flood deposits, porcelain, flint, diatoms, loess, annealed quartz
measures - human occupation, colonisation, authenticity, dune migration, lateral migration rate
of a meander, sand deposition, agricultural activity, fluvial deposits, retrospective dosimetry,
soil erosion, cultural activities, time of construction and destruction of a building, paleoclimate
synonyms - optical dating, OSL, pulsed photostimulated luminescence,
cathodoluminescence, luminescence dating
orbital dating - see cyclostratigraphy
orbital forcing - see cyclostratigraphy
orbitally tuned cyclostratigraphy - see cyclostratigraphy
orbitally tuned geological timescale - see Astronomical time scale
orbitally tuned stratigraphy - see cyclostratigraphy
orbitally tuned time scale - see Astronomical time scale
orbital stratigraphy - see cyclostratigraphy
orbital time scale - see Astronomical time scale
orbital tuning - see cyclostratigraphy
OSL - see optically stimulated luminescence
ostracode assemblages
materials - ostracodes
measures - hydrograph, lake level, paleoclimate
ostrich eggshell dating - see amino acid racemization
oxidizable carbon ratio
period - 1 - 35000 bp
mode - site-specific rate of biodegradation of carbonized organic matter, ratio of total
carbon to readily oxidizable carbon reflects amount of time passed
materials - soil, carbonized organic matter, soil humic material or charcoal,
active pedogenic and nonpedogenic sediments, stratified riverbanks, glacial deposits,
formerly pedogenic buried soils (paleosols), open-air surfaces, vessicular soils,
stratified fluvial deposits, desert pavements
measures - cultural features, abandonment, pit features, geoglyphs, middens,
earthworks, mounds, sub-plowzone sites
synonyms -
oxygen isotope chronostratigraphy - see oxygen isotope record
oxygen isotope ratios - see oxygen isotope record
oxygen isotope record
period - 0 - 500 m. bp
mode - stable isotope variation
materials - water, foraminifera, travertine,sediments, ice cores, meteorites, shelly material,
deep sea sediments, skeletal material, tephras, arc magmas, biogenic silica,
volcanic rocks, adularia, speleothems, calcite, gyttja, arkose, plankton, nannofossils,
lacustrine calcareous deposits, oxide grains, carbonates, teeth
measures - hydrothermal alteration, ore deposition, warming effect of volcanic C02,
paleoceanography, marine terraces and coastal landforms, sea level, salinity,
ice sheets, temperatures, ice volume, 41-k.y. cycles, obliquity forcing, precession,
global temperatures, ice ages, climatic variation, cooling effect of aerosols,
palaeoenvironmental records, meltwater spikes, stadials and cold rebounds,
Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles, petrogenesis, climatic response to traps emissions,
cold episodes, volume of the ocean, thermal history of shales, formation depth,
oceanic productivity, early solar system, solar evolution, sea-surface paleotemperatures
synonyms - 18O/16O ratios, oxygen isotope chronostratigraphy, oxygen isotope ratios,
oxygen isotope stratigraphy, 18O stratigraphy
labs - 1) Stable Isotope Laboratory -
2) Stable
isotope facility,
oxygen isotope stage - see marine isotope stage
oxygen isotope stratigraphy - see oxygen isotope record
231Pa/230Th ratio
materials - basalts, marine phosphorites, ocean sediments
measures - thermohaline circulation
231Pa/235U ratio
materials - desert varnish
measures - age
paleoaltimetry
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - process derived change in altitude
materials - trees, rocks, sediments, biogenic materials
measures - paleoenvironment, sea levels, paleoclimate, geomorpholgy
paleobiogeochemistry
labs - Paleobiogeochemistry Lab
at the
paleobiogeography
period - 0 - 600 m. bp
mode - biostratigraphic variations according to geographical location
materials - fossils, sediments, faunas, flora
measures - ecologies, evolution, palaeoenvironments, paleoclimate, biozones
synonyms - biogeography, paleoecology, paleogeography
labs - University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute
paleobiology - see paleobiogeography, paleoecology
paleobotany - see palynology
period - 0 - 350 m. bp
mode - botanical variation
materials - fossils, sediments, flora
measures - surface temperatures, ecologies, evolution, palaeoenvironments,
paleoclimate
synonyms - archaeobotany, paleoethnobotany
labs – 1) University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute
2) Paleoethnobotany Laboratory,
paleoceanography
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - oceanic change
materials - foraminifera, calcareous nannoplankton, sediments
measures - basin structural, fluid, and ecological change, insolation, interglacials,
carbonate dissolution and accumulation, deep-water circulation, salinity,
sediment supplies, alkenone levels, ocean acidification, paleoclimate
labs - 1) Paleontology
Laboratory -
paleoclimatology
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - climatic imprints
materials - speleothems, ice cores, diatoms, pollen, peat, nannofossils, sediments,
foraminifera, shell, carbonates, stalagmites, gastropods, ostracods, rock varnish,
tree rings
measures - climate change, ecological and geological effects, monsoons, precipitation,
meltwater pulses, glacial-interglacial cycles, Heinrich events, Bond events,
volcanic eruptions, temperature change, insolation, cycles of obliquity, eccentricity,
and precession, sedimentation rates, climate reconstructions, cultural impacts,
floods, sea and lake levels, droughts, Dansgaard/Oeschger cycles, forcing factors,
atmospheric and ocean circulation, carbon dioxide levels
labs - 1) Tree-Ring Laboratory - Department
of Geosciences,
2) Biogeography and Dendrochronology
Laboratory -
paleoecology
period - 0 – 675 m. bp
mode - local ecological reconstructions
materials - fungi, algae, pollen, fossils, non-pollen palynomorphs, lake sediments,
calcareous nannofossils, foraminifera, trilobites, faunas, sediments, phytoliths,
flora, trees
measures - fires, paleoclimate, biotas, palaeoenvironments, climate response,
water depth, flora and fauna
synonyms - palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, paleoethnobotany
labs - 1) Paleoethnobotany Laboratory
-
paleoenvironmental reconstruction - see palaeoecology
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - zonal environmental reconstructions
materials - faunas, sediments, lake sediments, flora, trees, pollen
measures - humidity, aridity, rock genesis, paleoclimate
labs - Paleoenvironmental Laboratory,
paleoethnobotany - see paleoecology, paleobotany
labs – 1) University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute
2) Paleoethnobotany Laboratory,
paleogeography
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - geographic change
materials - sediments, fossils
measures - human occupation history, environmental change, water basin dynamics,
climatic change, population migration, uplift, tectonics, denudation, sea levels,
continental drift, drainage change, coal distribution, sediment accumulation,
paleoclimate, paleotopography
synonyms - paleobiogeography, paleogeographic reconstruction, geomorphology
paleogeographic reconstruction - see paleogeography
paleolimnology
period - 300 - 3 m. bp
mode - lake sediment analysis
materials - lake sediments, diatoms, pollen, algae
measures - environmental change, catchment disturbance, lake levels
synonyms – limnology, lake sediment successions
labs - 1) Paleolimnology Laboratory -
paleomagnetic dating
period -
polar wander path - 0 - 100000 bp
geomagnetic pole reversals - 780000 - 500 m. bp
apparent polar wander paths - back to Precambrian times
mode - based on comparison between the current magnetic field and rock remanent
geomagnetic directions and intensity
materials - lavas, clays, settled volcanic ash, loess, iron sulphides, greigite, pyrrhotite,
sediments, strongly heated samples found near igneous events, magnetite
measure - fireplaces, kilns, structural fires, magnetic anomalies, planetary core,
uplift, plate tectonics, denudation, continental drift, seafloor spread, Mars,
orogenesis, paleoclimate
synonyms - archaeomagnetic dating, magnetostratigraphy, paleomagnetic stratigraphy
paleomagnetic stratigraphy - see paleomagnetic dating, magnetostratigraphy
Paleontological Time Scale
period - 0 - 650 m. bp
paleontology
period - 0 - 650 m. bp
mode - study of life change
synonyms - micropalaeontology, invertebrate paleontology, vertebrate paleontology
labs - 1) Paleontology
Laboratory -
2) Paleontological Institute,
paleoshoreline analysis - see lake level analysis
paleosol analysis
period - 0 - 10000 bp
materials - sediments, paleosols
measures - desertification, soil changes
synonyms - soil geomorphology
paleotemperature reconstruction – see paleothermometry
paleothermometry
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - reconstructing regional and local climatic responses to changing
atmospheric conditions
materials - fossil assemblages, loess sediments, gastropod shells, foraminifera,
ocean sediments, ostracodes
measures - paleotemperatures, glacial-interglacial cycles, alkenones, thermal
history reconstruction
synonyms - amino acid paleothermometry
paleotopography - see geomorphology
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
materials - sediments, fossil assemblages
measures - major and minor tectonism, glacial effects, erosion, mineral placement,
exhumation, orogenesis, geomorphic change, landscape evolution
palynology
period - 0 - 220 m. bp
mode - changes in species of pollen grains
materials - sediments, peat, gyttja, pollen, non-marine facies
measures - lake basins, past environments, people's lifestyles, floral range,
vegetational, floristic and climatic changes, sea levels, condition of the forest, wind
direction, vegetation identification of surrounding areas, pollen traveling distance,
floral pathogens, lake sedimentation, turn-over rate of the lake ecosystem,
reconstructing climates and dating soil strata, warm/cold current migrations,
human occupation history, carbon accumulation rates, mire ecosystems,
deforestation, landscape change, peat-bogs, temperature and rainfall,
mean temperature of the coldest month, precipitation patterns, lake-level
change
synonyms - pollen profiles, paleobotany
palynomorph zone dating
period - 0 - 260 m. bp
mode - genera-specific horizon markers
materials - fungal spores, algae spores, invertebrate remains, protozoa,
dinoflagellates, acritarchs, tasmanites
measures - age
palynostratigraphy - see palynology
paper dating
period - 0 - 100 bp
mode - characteristic analysis
materials - paper
measures - authenticity, age
patination
mode - determine the age of artifacts, relative to others, by comparing the thickness
of the patina
materials - bronze, glass, stone artifacts, rock art, flint artifact, petroglyphs
measures – age
Pb age - see U/Pb dating, 207Pb/206Pb
210Pb dating
period - 0 - 150 bp
mode - 222Rn decays to 210Pb in the atmosphere which settles immediately
materials - lake and loess sediments, peat deposits, marine sediment, glacial ice,
floodplain deposits, soils
measures - local, regional and global climate conditions, sediment accumulation,
soil erosion, sedimentation rates
synonyms - 210Pb geochronology
210Pb geochronology - see geochronology, 210Pb dating
Pb/He dating - see helium-lead dating
Pb isotopic age - see Pb-Pb dating, U/Pb dating
Pb-Pb dating
period - 100 m. - 4.57 b. bp
mode - isochron dependant on initial ratios of 206Pb/204Pb and 207Pb/204Pb
materials - meteorites, CAIs, chondrules, whole rock, pyrrhotite, tourmaline, zircon,
angrites, galena, chondrites, basaltic achondrite, phosphates, feldspar, sulfides,
eucrites, troilite, Fe-meteorites, pyroxene
measures - Earth, Mars, Moon, early solar system, metamorphism, mineralization,
Geochron, nebula events, heating events, asteriod parent bodies
synonyms - Pb isotopic age, U/Pb dating, Pb-Pb isochron age
207Pb/206Pb - see U/Pb dating
Pb-Pb isochron age - see Pb-Pb dating
Pb-Pb system - see Pb-Pb dating
107Pd-107Ag dating
period - 4565 m. - 4571 m. bp
mode - extinct radionuclide 107Pd produced excess 107Ag
materials - meteorites, iron meteorites, pallasites, sulfides, chondrites
measures - early solar system, planetary evolution
pedoarchaeology
mode - archaeological soils analysis
materials - soils, plant remains, terraced soils
measures - erosion rates, subsistance, agricultural methods
synonyms - archaeological pedology
pedostratigraphy
period - 0 - 500 m. bp
mode - a body of rock that consists of one or more pedologic horizons developed in
one or more lithic units now buried by a formally defined lithostratigraphic, or
allostratigraphic unit or units (
materials - buried soils, geosols
measures - relative age
Phanerozoic Time Scale
period - 0 - 675 m. bp
phylogenetic
comparison - see
pigment dating
mode - known pigment availability
materials - hematite, charcoal, paint
measures - rock paintings, paintings, pictographs, authenticity
planktonic stratigraphy
materials - alkenones, foraminifera, phytoplankton
measures - stable isotopes, ocean circulation, Heinrich events
plutonic geochronology - see geochronology
pollen profiles - see palynology
potassium-argon dating
period - 20000 - 4.6 b. bp
mode - potassium-40 decays to argon-40 which is trapped in mineral, accumulation
reflects time since highly heated
materials - andesite, basalt, biotite, muscovite, hornblende, volcanic feldspar, micas,
plagioclase, clays, volcanic glass, igneous rocks, bentonites, lavas, sanidine,
meteorites, heat treated projectile point, pottery, volcanic ash, sediments, alunite
measure - sea floor spreading rates, early humans, thermal histories,
paleontological zones, age of earth, mineral formation, cave formation
synonyms - K-Ar dating, K–Ar geochronology
244Pu fission track thermometry
materials - meteorites, chondrites, hibonite, CAIs,
measures – cooling rates
pulsed photostimulated luminescence - see optically stimulated luminescence
Pu-Xe dating
period - 4565 - 4571 m. bp
mode - extinct radionuclide
materials - zircon, eucrites, meteorites
measures – early solar system
quartz hydration dating
period - 1600 - 25000 bp
mode - water diffusion into quartz forms a hydration layer, thickness of layer
indicates time elapses since fresh surface
materials - quartz artifacts
measures - art authentication
synonyms - hydration dating
radioactive dating - see radioisotope dating
radiocalcium dating - see 41Ca dating
radiocarbon dating
period - 0 - 50000 bp
mode - incorporation of modern 14C stops when the lifeform dies, the water goes
underground, the iron is smelted, or air vesicles in lava close, then through beta
particle emission reverts to stable 14-nitrogen, carbon-14 content decrease relates
to age, also cosmogenic in some minerals
materials - ice cores, water, soils and sediments, micro- and macro-fossils, charcoal,
wood, humic acids, speleothems, caliche, lime, marl, travertine and tufa, peat,
pollen, tree rings, plant and animal tissues, iron, carbonate deposits, groundwater,
quartz, varves, desert varnish, diatoms, silk, petroglyphs, stalagmites, shell, fabrics,
teeth, bone, ivory, cotton, corals, organic materials, gyttja, detritus mud,
lake sediments
measure - solar variations, Heinrich events, rock art, climate change, ecosystem change,
time of harvest, authenticity, solar activity, Neanderthals, Neolithic events,
nuclear energy pollution, oceanic circulation , site occupancy, deposition time,
microfossil deposition rate, sedimentation rates
synonyms - carbon 14 dating, 14C dating, bomb-radiocarbon dating
radiocarbon geochronology - see geochronology
radiochlorine - see 36Cl dating
radiochronology - see radioisotope dating
radiogenic dating - see radioisotope dating
radiogenic Helium - see 4He/3He Thermochronometry
radiogenic nitrogen
mode - 14C decay product analysis
radioisotope dating
period - 0 - 6 b. bp
mode - chronometric dating based on known half-lives of particular isotopes or the
rate of other cumulative changes resulting from radioactivity
materials - igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks, bio-remains, meteorites,
lunar rocks, ores, groundwater, environmental contaminants
measures - evolution, orogeny, early solar system development, paleoclimate,
paleoecology, geologic processes, source tracing
synonyms - radioactive dating, radiochronology, radiogenic dating, radiometric dating,
radioisotopic geochronology
radioisotopic geochronology - see radioisotope dating
radioisotopic time scale
period - 0 - 5700 m. bp
mode - built on radioisotopic dates
synonyms - radiometric time scale
radiolarian zone dating
period - 0 - 65 m. bp
mode - species-specific chronostratigraphic index markers
materials - intervolcanic sediments, silica enriched sediments, radiolarians
measures - age
radioluminescence
period - 0 - 150000 bp
materials - zircon, feldspar, sediments
measures - age
synonyms - luminescence
radiometric dating - see radioisotope dating
radiometric time scale - see radioisotopic time scale
226Ra excess dating - see 238U-230Th-226Ra dating
226Ra/230Th dating - see 238U-230Th-226Ra dating
Rb-Sr dating
period - 60 m. - 4.6 b. bp
mode - radioisotope parent 87Rb produces daughter 87Sr
materials - mica, rocks, igneous rock, biotite, muscovite, hornblende, granite, CAIs,
amphiboles, limestones with abundant strontium, pegmatites, plagioclase, feldspar,
K-feldspar, orthoclase, gneiss, sulfides, sphalerite, illitic clays, alkaline halides,
shales, potassium and cesium minerals, lepidolite, amazonite, microcline, syenite,
magnetite, chondrites, nepheline, meteorites, lunar rocks, dunite
measures - cooling ages, uplift and cooling history, metal deposits, heating events,
sedimentary rock source of the mineral grains, metamorphism
synonyms - rubidium/strontium dating
labs - Department of
Geology,
red shift dating
mode - spectral shift with distance
materials - stars, galaxies
measures - early universe
rehydroxylation dating
period - 0 - 10000 bp
mode - precision mass analysis of moisture gain
materials - ceramics, bricks, tile, pottery
measures - climate, ceramic forgery
relative dating
period - 0 - 13.7 b. bp
mode - provides a sequence of past events without the numerical age provided by
absolute dating but may be related to and mapped onto an absolute timescale
Re-Os dating
period - 10 m. - 4.6 b. bp
mode - radioisotope parent-daughter 187Re produces 187Os
materials - igneous rocks, iron meteorites, molybdenite, pyrite, sulfide ores, pyrrhotite,
pallasites
measures - Au deposition, Pb-Zn deposits, Cu-Ni deposits,
synonyms - rhenium-osmium dating
rhenium-osmium dating - see Re-Os dating
rock varnish dating - see varnish stratigraphy
rubidium/strontium dating - see Rb-Sr dating
samarium-neodymium dating - see Sm-Nd dating
sapropel chonology
mode - laminated organic-rich layers
materials - marine sediment, tephra, alkenones
measures - paleoclimate
synonyms - sapropel markers
scientific dating
mode - relative and absolute dating methods
seafloor anomaly timescale - see geomagnetic polarity time scale
seafloor spreading rates
period - 0 - 180 m. bp
materials - rift volcanics, ocean sediments
measures - plate tectonics, continental drift
sea level variation
period - 0 - 200 m. bp
mode - level markers
materials - coral reefs, sediments
measures - paleoclimate, meltwater pulse, transgressions, tectonics, uplift,
paleogeography, regressions, glacial melting, population displacement
secular variation magnetostratigraphy - see magnetostratigraphy
sedimentation rate chronology
period - 0 - 146 m. bp
mode - rate of sediment buildup allowing for compaction
materials - lake sediments, sea bed deposits, tephra, marsh deposits
measures - past environments, paleoclimate, fire frequencies, caves, erosion,
paleoecology, biostratigraphic events, paleoceanography, lake levels
sedimentology
period - 0 - 4 b. bp
mode - study of sedimentary deposits and sedimentation
labs - Department of Geology,
seismostratigraphy
mode - subsurface unit differentiation with seismic waves
sequence dating
mode - place assemblages of artifacts into relative order
materials - pottery, artifacts
measures - relative age
sequence stratigraphy
mode - marker beds
materials - seismites, tephras, tempestite, turbidites, hardgrounds
measures - palaeoecology, faunal migrations, event deposits, obrution deposits,
faunal signatures, flooding
seriation
mode - artifact
lenticular change, artifact's popularity rises to a
trails off
materials - pottery, artifacts
measures - ceramics, points, material cultural remains
SHRIMP U-Pb age – see U/Pb dating
32Si dating
materials - diatoms
measures – paleoclimate
146Sm-142Nd dating
period - 4.5 – 4.6 b. bp
mode - extinct natural radionuclide produced 142Nd
materials - meteorites
measures - early solar system
Sm-Nd dating
period - 100 m. - 4.6 b. bp
mode - radioactive decay of 147Sm to 143Nd
materials - volcanic deposits, komatiites, scheelite, tourmaline, igneous and metamorphic
rocks, garnet, meteorites, chondrites, mesosiderites , biostratigraphically barren strata
measures - time of eruption, gold deposits, ore deposits, mantle, crust, early solar system,
source tracing
synonyms - samarium-neodymium dating
labs - Department of
Geology,
soil geomorphology - see paleosol analysis, geomorphology
solar cyclicity
measures - solar variations, paleoclimate, atmospheric 14C
solar forcing - see cyclostratigraphy
sonic astrochronology - see astrochronology
spectroscopic dating
mode - age related surface chemical change
materials - wood
measures - authenticity
speleothem deposition
mode - rough growth rate
materials - speleothem
measures - cave age
spore dating
period - 0 - 400 m. bp
mode - fungi spore variation
materials - peat, terrestrial sediments
87Sr/86Sr geochronology
period - 0 - 200 m. bp
mode - seawater abundance during growth locked into shell
materials - shell
measures - age
87Sr/86Sr ratios
mode - 87Sr/86Sr isotopic ratios of local rock is same as that grown on or made of it
materials - organics, products
measures - sourcing, migration patterns, trade, forensics
87Sr/86Sr stratigraphy - see strontium isotope stratigraphy
stable isotope analysis
period - 0 - 500 m. bp
mode - consistent variation of non-radioactive isotopes
materials - carbonates, shell, tephra, marine sediments, groundwater, foraminifera,
ice cores, geologic materials, organic compounds, sapropels, alunite, marl
measures - fresh water flow, water salinity, hydrograph, vegetation change, climate change,
uplift, hotspot, terrace deposits, precession, obliquity, eccentricity, mass extinctions,
hydrothermal alteration, ore deposition, paleoclimate, orogenesis, period transitions,
paleoceanography, agricultural activities, pollutant release, ocean temperatures
synonyms - chemical isotope dating, isotopic dating
labs - 1) Stable Isotope Laboratory -
2) Stable Isotope
Laboratory -
3) University of Kansas Stable Isotope Laboratory
standard global chronostratigraphic scale - see geologic time scale
stratigraphic time-scale - see geological time scale
stratigraphy
period - 0 - 4.5 b. bp
mode - based on the principle of superposition - if there are layers of deposits, those
laid down first will be older than those laid on top of them
materials - artifacts, fossils, rock, sediments
measure - geological strata, evolution, geomorphism, paleoclimate, formations,
paleoecology, early human
see - age equivalent stratigraphic markers, allostratigraphy,
aminostratigraphy,
benthic isotope stratigraphies, biostratigraphy, chemostratigraphy,
chronostratigraphy,
climatostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy, ecostratigraphy, event stratigraphy,
global climatostratigraphic scale, isotope stratigraphy, isotopic event
stratigraphy,
lithostratigraphy, macrofossil stratigraphy, magnetic reversal stratigraphy,
magnetic stratigraphy, magnetobiostratigraphy,
magneto(cyclo)stratigraphy,
magnetostratigraphy, microfossil stratigraphy, morphostratigraphy,
nannofossil biostratigraphy, natural catastrophe stratigraphy, 18O
stratigraphy,
orbitally tuned cyclostratigraphy, orbitally tuned stratigraphy, orbital
stratigraphy,
oxygen isotope chronostratigraphy, oxygen isotope stratigraphy,
paleomagnetic stratigraphy,
palynostratigraphy, pedostratigraphy, planktonic stratigraphy, secular
variation
magnetostratigraphy, seismostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy,
87Sr/86Sr stratigraphy,
standard global chronostratigraphic scale, stratigraphic time-scale,
strontium isotope stratigraphy, tectonostratigraphy, varnish stratigraphy
labs - Department of Geology,
strontium isotope stratigraphy
period - 0 - 65 m. bp
mode - seawater variations over time
materials - carbonates
measures - age
synonyms - 87Sr/86Sr stratigraphy
strontium/oxygen dating - see Sr, O dating
style
materials - artifacts
measures - art, architecture, petroglyphs, writing authentication
subjects depicted
mode - objects of art limited to certain time periods
measures - rock art, carvings
sulfur isotope analysis
measures - environmental change, orogenesis, formation temperature
superimposition
mode - later image cut into earlier
measures - rock art
surface-exposure dating - see cosmogenic dating
T-cell
mode - number of molecular agents decline with age
materials - blood
measure - human age
tectonic geomorphology - see geomorphology
tectonostratigraphy
measures - island arcs, peninsulas, highlands
tephrochronology
period - 0 - 5 m. bp
mode - tephra layers' physical, chemical, spatial, and temporal characteristics
materials - tephra, interspersed sediments
measure - paleoclimate reconstruction, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, landscape
reconstruction, vulcanology, geological and archaeological events, early man
Te-Xe dating
mode - radioisotope parent-daughter 130Te produces 130Xe
measures - mineralisation
230Th coral dating - see uranium/thorium dating
230Th dating - see uranium/thorium dating
thermochronology - see thermochronometry
labs - Department of Geology,
thermochronometry
period - 0 - 6 b. bp
mode - temperature-dependent systems that record the time that they passed through
their specific closure temperature
materials - apatite, monazite, K-feldspar, zircon, meteorites, titanite, pegmatites, mylonitic rocks,
alkali feldspars, hornblende, biotite, granite, muscovite, quartz
measures - metamorphism, arc-continent collision zone, maturation of hydrocarbons,
denudational history, cooling history, mountain-building, exhumation, subduction,
faults, tectonic hazards, landscape development, tectonic geomorphology,
hydrocarbon exploration, sedimentary burial history, timing and rates of
development of topographic relief, architecture and dynamics of orogenic
wedges, feedbacks between erosion, uplift, and climate, weathering episodes,
wildfires, time-temperature histories, crustal thermal processes, mineralization,
sedimentary basins, erosion, paleotopographic histories, detrital provenance,
landscape evolution of mountain belts, tectonics, continental margins, glacial effects,
cooling and uplift of blocks, episodic rapid uplift, geodynamics of orogenic belts,
thermotectonic evolution of cratons, plate tectonics, convergent settings, economic
hydrothermal ore deposits, depositional ages
synonyms - low-temperature thermochronometry, noble-gas thermochronology,
fission track thermochronology, zircon (U-Th)/He dating, 4He/3He
thermochronometry, time-temperature models, detrital thermochronometry, U-Pb,
noble-gas thermochronology, argon-40/argon-39, detrital chronometry
thermoluminescence
period - 30 - 1 m. bp
mode - radiogenic electron accumulation in crystalline defects is released when
exposed to high temperatures, amount of luminescence reflects time since last
exposed to high heat
materials - rocks, minerals, pottery, quartz, feldspar, diamond, calcite, sands, silt,
fire-cracked and fire treated rocks, sediment, fired clay, terracotta, bricks,
tiles, obsidian, slag, granite, rhyolite, stoneware, porcelain, calcrete, shell,
stalagmite, zircon, Iceland spar, apatite, meteorites, tephra, loess
measure - authenticity, hearths, paleoclimate, impact craters
synonyms - TL, luminescence
labs - Thermoluminescence Laboratory,
thermo-microbiological time of death
mode - thermographic imaging of microorganism growth rate on cadavers
measures - time of death
Th/Eu nucleocosmochronology - see nucleocosmochronology
230Th excess dating
measures - manganese nodules growth rate
thorium-230 dating - see uranium/thorium dating
thorium-uranium disequilibrium - see uranium/thorium dating
Th/Pb - see 232Th-208Pb dating
232Th-208Pb dating
mode - compares 232Th to its decay series end product
230Th/232Th
mode - compares 232Th to 238U produced 230Th
229Th-233U - see (U-Th)/He dating
230Th/234U dating - see uranium/thorium dating
230Th/238U dating - see uranium/thorium dating
230Th-234U-238U dating - see uranium/thorium dating
time scale
Astronomical Polarity Time Scale
Astronomical
time scale (
cosmological time scale
Early Solar System timescale
Extinct Radionuclide Timescale
geologic time scale
Geomagnetic Polarity time scale
geomagnetic reversal time scale
Geomagnetic time scale
isotopic time scale
lunar geologic timescale
magnetic anomaly time scale
Martian geologic timescale
orbital time scale
Orbitally Tuned Geological timescale
Paleontological Time Scale
Phanerozoic Time Scale
Prehistoric Time Scale
radiometric time scale
radioisotopic time scale
Standard Global Chronostratigraphic Scale
Time-temperature models - see thermochronometry
TL - see thermoluminescence
tree ring dating - see dendrochronology
trilobite-zone dating
period - 440 - 570 m. bp
mode - species-specific chronostratigraphic index markers
materials - trilobite, sediments
measures - palaeoecology
tritium analysis
period - 0 - 100 bp
mode - atmospheric cosmogenic and nuclear bomb tests
materials - tree rings, groundwater
measures - hydrologics, groundwater flow and recharge rates, aquifers,
surface water, bomb-tritium front
synonyms - 3H dating
tritium/helium-3 dating
mode – compares ratio of tritium to helium-3
materials - ground water
measures - age
tusk ring analysis
mode - yearly growth layers
materials - elephant tusks
measures - famine records, birth events, age, health history
type-series - see typology
typological studies - see typology
typology
mode - cultural or evolutionary changes that allow artifacts to be placed
into time sequences
materials - artifacts, pottery, projectile points, axes
measures - relative age
synonyms - type-series, typological studies
U disequilibrium series dating - see uranium/thorium dating
234U excess dating
period - 10000 - 2 m. bp
mode – 238U compared to its daughter 234U
materials - groundwater
measures - aquifers
synonyms - 234U/238U dating, uranium-uranium dating
U-Fl-N dating
period - 0 - 100 m. bp
mode - percolating ground water adds fluorine and uranium and removes nitrogen
materials - buried bone, teeth, antlers
measure - recent intrusions, pits and midden features
synonyms - fluorine, uranium and nitrogen tests, fluorine analysis
U/He dating - see (U-Th)/He dating
U-Pb Chronology - see U/Pb dating
U-Pb chronometry - see U/Pb dating
U/Pb dating
period - 1 m. - 4.57 b. bp
mode - coupled chronometer, 238U to 206Pb - with a half-life of 4.46 billion years,
and 235U to 207Pb – with a half-life of 704 million years, lead atoms created by
uranium decay are trapped in the crystal and build up in concentration with time
materials - rocks, monazite, fossil bones, igneous and metamorphic rocks, powdered
whole rocks, mineral concentrates, single grains, zircon, baddeleyite, sphene, rutile,
apatite, titanite, moon rocks, meteorites, zirconolite, intrusives, sedimentary rocks,
volcanic ash, rhyolite, tuff, hornblende, pyrrhotite, tourmaline, granites, feldspar,
monazite, angrites, chondrites, CAIs, galena, phosphates, eucrites, intrusions,
chondrules, lunar basalts, phosphates, detrital sediments, flysch, bentonite,
sandstone
measures - orogenic development, batholiths, sedimentary source, dykes, mineralization,
volcanic eruptions, continental movements, mass extinctions, metamorphism,
early solar system, Shallowater, nebular and parent-body processes,
age of the Earth
synonyms - U-Pb chronometry, zircon dating, U-Th-Pb method, Th/Pb dating,
235U-207Pb dating, 238U-206Pb dating, U-Pb chronology, U–Pb geochronology,
zircon SHRIMP age, SHRIMP U-Pb
labs - Department of
Geology,
235U-207Pb dating - see U/Pb dating
238U-206Pb dating - see U/Pb dating
U–Pb geochronology - see geochronology, U/Pb dating
U/ Pb zircon geochronology - see geochronology
uranium disequilibrium series - see uranium/thorium dating
uranium-series - see uranium/thorium dating
uranium series disequilibrium dating - see uranium/thorium dating
uranium series geochronology - see geochronology
uranium/thorium dating
period - 20 - .5 m. bp
mode – solubility mechanics produce absorption rate differential
materials - marine sediments, bone, wood, coral, stone, speleothem, carbonates,
pumice, desert varnish, pottery, clays, soils, peat deposits, weathered alluvium,
fluvial sediments, ferruginous concretions and rinds, lignite, calcrete, stalagmites,
caliches, molluscs, teeth, carbonate coatings, calcite cement, lacustrine sediments,
evaporites, phosphorites, marine shells, egg shells, carbonate sediments, travertines,
annually-laminated sediments, impure carbonates, calcite laminations and veins,
invertebrate fossils, lake cores, tephra
measures - interstadials, fault motion, sea levels, coastal dunefield, early human activity
in caves, coastal plain, rock art, climate reconstruction
synonyms - 230Th/234U dating, 238U-234U-230Th-232Th dating, 230Th/238U dating,
thorium-uranium disequilibrium, uranium-series, uranium series disequilibrium dating,
thorium-230 dating, 230Th-234U-238U dating, 238U/230Th dating, 230Th/232Th,
U-Th dating, 238U-series dating, U234/Th230 dating, 230Th coral dating,
230Th dating, coral dating, uranium disequilibrium series
uranium-uranium dating - see 234U excess dating
238U-series dating - see uranium/thorium dating
U234/Th230 - see uranium/thorium dating
U-Th dating – see uranium/thorium dating
238U/230Th dating - see uranium/thorium dating
(U-Th)/He dating
period - 1 m. – 500 m. bp
mode - alpha particles (4He nuclei) emitted throughout 238U, 235U, and 232Th
decay series and trapped within the lattice of the host material
materials - zircon, chondrites, titanite, apatite, goethite, tuff, detrital sediments
measures - uplift and exhumation, denudation, structural and topographic evolution,
low-temperature thermal history of the upper crust
synonyms - (U-Th)/He thermochronometry, (U-Th)/He thermochonology, low-
temperature thermochronometry, U/He dating, He dating, 4He/3He thermochronometry
labs - U-Th)/He lab,
(U-Th)/(He-Pb) age - see (U-Th)/He dating, U/Pb dating
(U-Th)/He thermochronology - see (U-Th)/He dating
(U-Th)/He thermochronometry - see (U-Th)/He dating
U-Th-Pb geochronology
labs - Department of
Geology,
U-Th-Pb method - see U/Pb dating
238U-230Th-226Ra dating
materials - andesites, dacites, pumice, fluvial sands
measures – age
synonyms - 226Ra/230Th dating, 226Ra excess dating
234U/238U dating - see 234U excess dating
238U-234U-230Th-232Th dating - see uranium/thorium dating
varnish microlaminations - see varnish stratigraphy
varnish microstratigraphy - see varnish stratigraphy
varnish stratigraphy
period - 1000 - 2 m. bp
mode - rock surface biochemical deposit growth rate
materials - rock, rock cobbles, lava flows, meteorites
measures - rock carvings, petroglyphs, stone artifacts, debris-flow fans,
lava flows, faulting events, meteoric events, sediment deposition, environmental
changes, climate record, geomorphism
synonyms - rock varnish dating, cation-ratio dating, desert varnish,
varnish microstratigraphy, VML dating, varnish microlaminations
varve chronology
period - 0 - 40000 bp
mode - layered annual silt deposits
materials - lake sediments, terrestrial macrofossils, marine sediments, clays, silt,
fine sand, tephra
measure - palaeoclimate, organic carbon, deglaciation, precipitation, flooding, drought,
rates of change in climate and various ecosystems, forest pathogen,
paleoecology,
sedimentation rate
synonyms - annually laminated sediments, varved clays, lake sediment successions,
laminated sediments
varved clays - see varve chronology
vertebrate paleontology
labs - University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute
VML dating - see varnish stratigraphy
weathering
mode - degree of weathering
measures - rock art
written records
period - to about 5000 BP
Xe-Xe Dating
materials - telluride minerals, meteorites
zircon dating - see U/Pb dating
zircon FT system - see fission-track dating
zircon SHRIMP age - see U/Pb dating
zooarchaeology
mode – comparative identification
materials – animal remains, faunal assemblage
measures - diet, ecology, paleoclimate, evolution
synonyms - archaeozoology
labs - 1) Zooarchaeology
Laboratory -
2) Zooarchaeology Laboratory of the Peabody Museum – Harvard
4) Zooarchaeology
Lab –
(
The North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin
Volume 67, Number 5 (May, 1983), p. 841-875
Dating Methods/Pattern Recognition – Proposed Syllabus
Chronological
Studies & Dating Methods - Time Periods
Contact for comments, suggestions, or references