datations

Datations denotes the process of determining the age of objects, events, or geological formations. In archaeology, geology, paleontology, and related fields, datations provide calendar years or time intervals for artifacts, fossils, sediments, and stratigraphic sequences. The term covers absolute dating, which yields a specific age or range in calendar years, and relative dating, which places materials or events in a chronological order without a fixed date. Datations support the reconstruction of historical timelines and environmental changes.

Absolute dating methods rely on measurable physical, chemical, or isotopic changes that accumulate over time. Common radiometric techniques include radiocarbon dating for organic remains, potassium-argon dating for volcanic materials, and uranium-lead dating for minerals. Other absolute methods include dendrochronology (tree-ring dating), thermoluminescence, optically stimulated luminescence dating of minerals, uranium-series dating, fission-track dating, and electron spin resonance. Relative dating methods, such as stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and magnetostratigraphy, rely on the order of layers, fossil assemblages, and magnetic field reversals to constrain ages without precise calendars.

Accuracy depends on material properties, context, calibration, and measurement uncertainty. Radiocarbon dating, for example, requires calibration curves to convert radiocarbon years to calendar years. Datation results are typically reported with uncertainty ranges and methodological details, and are interpreted alongside stratigraphic and contextual information. Limitations include contamination, reservoir effects, dating of old materials beyond the method’s range, and potential biases from preservation or context loss. Datations thus provide essential, albeit provisional, anchors for reconstructing timelines of past environments and human activities.