LESS than a century ago, it was impossible for geologists to assign accurate dates to rocks or fossils. Now, the burgeoning science of geochronology can date strata with up to 99.9 per cent precision, determine the age of meteorites to within a few hundred thousand years, and use carbon-14 to date archaeological sites from minute fragments of wood or charcoal. Rich in historical titbits, this book is a delightful study of how scientists figured out analytical techniques that revealed the history of the Earth.
Nature’s Clocks
University of California Press
