Tephrochronologie
Tephrochronology is a geochronological and stratigraphic method that uses volcanic ash layers, or tephra, as time markers to date and correlate sedimentary sequences and archaeological contexts. By identifying and dating individual tephra horizons, researchers can synchronize records from different places and reconstruct past events with improved temporal precision.
The core principle is that tephra produced by a single eruption has a distinctive geochemical fingerprint.
Absolute age control for tephrochronology comes from dating the eruption that produced the tephra (for example,
Applications include reconstructing past climate and environmental change, dating sediments, ice cores, and marine cores, and