fluorine dating

American  

noun

1. a method of determining the relative age of fossil bones found in the same excavation by comparing their fluorine content.

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Etymology

Origin of fluorine dating

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

The hoax came to light in 1953 when scientists at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, using the then-new technique of fluorine dating—which relies on the fact that older bones absorb more fluoride from groundwater over time—revealed that Piltdown Man’s bones were not all the same age.

From Science Magazine