geochronology

Introduction
Early views and discoveries
- The principle of superposition of rock strata
- Classification of stratified rocks
The emergence of modern geologic thought
- James Hutton’s recognition of the geologic cycle
- Lyell’s promulgation of uniformitarianism
- Determining the relationships of fossils with rock strata
  - The hypothesis of fossil succession in the work of Georges Cuvier
  - William Smith’s work with faunal sequence
- Early attempts at mapping and correlation
- The concepts of facies, stages, and zones
  - Facies
  - Stages and zones
Completion of the Phanerozoic time scale
Development of radioactive dating methods and their application
- Early attempts at calculating the age of the Earth
- An absolute age framework for the stratigraphic time scale
Nonradiometric dating
- Geologic processes as absolute chronometers
  - Weathering processes
  - Accumulational processes
  - Geomagnetic variations
- Biological processes as absolute chronometers
  - Tree-ring growth
  - Coral growth

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Grand Canyon rock layering

fossil-containing strata

Steno, Nicolaus

Steno's four laws of stratigraphy

The video thumbnail image shows an illustration of the bird dinosaur Longipteryx alongside two toy dinosaur figurines.

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geochronology summary

geochronology: Related Content

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Photos and Videos

Grand Canyon rock layering

fossil-containing strata

Steno, Nicolaus

Steno's four laws of stratigraphy

The video thumbnail image shows an illustration of the bird dinosaur Longipteryx alongside two toy dinosaur figurines.

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Topics

dating geological record fossil record index fossil chronology geologic cycle historical geology Earth rock stratigraphy geography geology hydrologic sciences ecology geoengineering demography cartography atmospheric science oceanography geomorphology

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

mass spectrometry: Geochronology and geochemistry

Key People

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William Lonsdale

British geologist

Steno, Nicolaus

Nicolaus Steno

Danish geologist

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Gerhard, Baron De Geer

Swedish geologist

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Giovanni Arduino

Italian geologist

Cross section of Earth showing the core, mantle, and crust

Everything Earth