geochronology

[jee-oh-kruh-nol-uh-jee]

noun

1. the chronology of the earth, as based on both absolute and relative methods of age determination.

geochronology

/ ˌdʒiːəʊkrəˈnɒlədʒɪ, ˌdʒiːəʊˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the branch of geology concerned with ordering and dating of events in the earth's history, including the origin of the earth itself

Other Word Forms

• geochronologic adjective
• geochronological adjective
• geochronologist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of geochronology¹

First recorded in 1890–95; geo- + chronology

Example Sentences

"It is the first geochronology study to come from the Chang’e-6 samples, and will be of immense importance to the lunar and planetary science community."

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Geochronology, or the science of dating earth materials, was then used to reach the conclusion that significant ice melt began in the '40s.

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“There will be a really interesting geochronology story,” Horgan said.

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The thickness of the crust suggested the tusk was old, but to find out exactly how old, Dr. Blackburn, whose lab at Santa Cruz specializes in geochronology, studied the decay of radioactive materials in samples of the original tusk tip retrieved in 2019.

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The field of geochronology is dedicated to dating Earth’s geologic materials.

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