Geochronology is the scientific discipline focused on determining the absolute and relative ages of rocks, minerals, fossils, and geological events, thereby establishing the temporal framework of Earth’s history. It relies on quantitative dating methods, primarily radiometric techniques such as U–Pb, Ar–Ar, Rb–Sr, and Sm–Nd systems, which exploit the known decay constants of radioactive isotopes in specific mineral phases. These data are integrated with stratigraphic principles and chronostratigraphic units to construct calibrated timescales, constrain rates of tectonic, magmatic, and surface processes, and correlate geological records across regions and datasets.
Over the last 3,800 years, agro-pastoral activities have accelerated alpine soil erosion at a pace four to 10 times faster than their natural formation. The history of this erosion has just been revealed for the first time ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 14, 2025
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73
Ever been late because you misread a clock? Sometimes, the "clocks" geologists use to date events can also be misread. Unraveling Earth's 4.5-billion-year history with rocks is tricky business.
Planetary Sciences
Jul 10, 2025
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61
Researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Columbia University, along with their collaborators, have analyzed sediments from the terrestrial Sangonghe Formation ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 2, 2025
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41
Scientists have identified what could be the oldest rocks on Earth from a rock formation in Canada.
Earth Sciences
Jun 26, 2025
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143
The "Big Five" mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic Eon have long attracted significant attention from the geoscience community and the public. Among them, the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME) is the earliest of the ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 5, 2025
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37
A new study led by University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh geologist Timothy Paulsen and University of Colorado Boulder thermochronologist Jeff Benowitz advances the understanding of the geologic history of Transantarctic Mountains ...
Earth Sciences
May 30, 2025
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113
We've discovered that a meteorite struck northwest Scotland 1 billion years ago, 200 million years later than previously thought. Our results are published today in the journal Geology.
Earth Sciences
Apr 29, 2025
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53
New Curtin University research has revealed that a massive meteorite struck northwestern Scotland about 200 million years later than previously thought, in a discovery that not only rewrites Scotland's geological history ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 29, 2025
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132
Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and Boise State University have found evidence suggesting that the Marinoan glaciation began approximately 639 million years ago and lasted for approximately 4 million ...
Chengdu University of Technology-led research has established a high-resolution astrochronological framework spanning approximately 57.6 million years of the early Ediacaran Period. This calibrated timeline provides precise ...
