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In geology and archaeology, the process of determining an object's or event's place within a chronological scheme.
Scientists may use either relative dating, in which items are sequenced on the basis of stratigraphic clues (see stratigraphy ) or a presumed evolution in form or structure, or absolute dating, in which items are assigned a date independent of context. The latter type includes carbon-14 dating; both are based on the measurement of radioactive decay. The record of changes in polarity of the Earth's magnetic field has provided a timescale for seafloor spreading and long-term marine sedimentation . Dendrochronology has proved useful in archaeology and climatology. See also fission-track dating ; helium dating ; lead-210 dating ; rubidium-strontium dating ; uranium-234–uranium-238 dating ; uranium-thorium-lead dating .
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[c mediumvioletred] (as used in expressions)
carbon 14 dating
radiocarbon dating
fission track dating
helium dating
{{link=lead 210 dating">lead 210 dating
potassium argon dating
rubidium strontium dating
uranium 234 uranium–238 dating
uranium thorium lead dating
common lead dating