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Historical Development (of Dating Methods)

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Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods

Synonyms

Absolute dating; Isotopic dating; Isotopic geochronology; Radio-isotope dating; Radiometric dating

Definition

H. S. Williams (1893) originally proposed the term “geochronology” for the study of the time scale of geological events. Williams coined the term just 3 years prior to the discovery of radioactivity, at a time when science-based estimates for the age of the Earth and the age of major geologic events were derived from various physical and chemical models, and a range of geologic observations and measurements. The discovery of radioactivity in 1896 by the French physicist, Henri Becquerel, led to the development of dating methods primarily based on the decay of long-lived, naturally occurring radioactive “parent isotopes” to stable “daughter isotopes.” In modern usage, “geochronology” is used more or less exclusively to refer to dating geological materials using methods based on radioactive decay.

Introduction

To quote Frank Richter’s paper on “Kelvin and the age of the...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara 1006 Webb hall, 93106-9630, Santa Barbara, CA, USA

    James M. Mattinson

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  1. James M. Mattinson
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Correspondence to James M. Mattinson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    W. Jack Rink

  2. Department of Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

    Jeroen Thompson

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Mattinson, J. (2014). Historical Development (of Dating Methods). In: Rink, W., Thompson, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Scientific Dating Methods. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6326-5_56-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6326-5_56-3

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  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-6326-5

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