Definitions
In coastal research, the terms “geochronology ” or “geochronostratigraphy ” are used to determine time scales for coastal processes and coastal evolution utilizing relative stratigraphic techniques (morpho-, pedo-, bio-, lithostratigraphy) and absolute dating methods, whereas relative and absolute approaches complement each other.
Dating Methods
In the last 30 years, applications of the numerical (“absolute”) dating of coastal structures, sediments, and processes were improved, new dating methods were established, and the precision and accuracy of existing age determination methods were considerably increased. Numerous papers and some books describe dating techniques in Quaternary sciences in detail (e.g., Rink and Thompson 2015; Malainey 2011; Walker 2005).
Mass spectrometric radiocarbon, thorium-230/uranium-234 isotope (Th/U), electron spin resonance (ESR), optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), and terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) dating are the most commonly used...
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Schellmann, G., Brückner, H., Brill, D. (2018). Geochronology. In: Finkl, C., Makowski, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Coastal Science . Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48657-4_147-2
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