Methods of absolute chronology
Introduction to radiometric methods. Principles of radioactive decay.
Physical phenomena related to radioactive decay. Natural decay series.
Other radioisotopes occurring in environment. Application of radioisotopes
in dating deposits and artifacts. Methods applying the laws of radioactive
decay and isotope transformation. Methods applying other phenomena related
to radioactivity. Review of selected methods applicable to Quaternary.
Short-lived cosmogenic radioisotopes: tritium (3H) method, long-lived
cosmogenic radioisotopes: radiocarbon (14C) method;
10Be, 26Al, 36Cl
exposure dating methods. Other cosmogenic isotopes employed for dating
purposes. Decay series methods: U/Th, 210Pb, K/Ar and other methods.
Paleodosimetric methods: thermoluminescence (TL), optically stimulated
luminescence (OSL), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) methods.
Other paleodosimetric methods.
Other methods. Dendrochronological method. Varve counting.
Historic and archaeological methods.
Bibliography
Physics textbooks on radioactivity and nuclear radiation.
Mebus A. Geyh and Helmut Schleicher, 1990. Absolute Age Determination:
Physical and Chemical Dating Methods and Their Application. Springer Verlag.
Other readings (journal papers) recommended by the lecturer.
|