Chronometric dating in archaeology

It is used for human and animal bone and other organic material.

Specific changes in its amino acid structure (racemization or epimerization) which occur at a slow, relatively uniform rate, are measured after the organism's death.

However, racemization is very much affected by environmental factors such as temperature change.

If there has been significant change in the temperature during the time in which the object is buried, the result is flawed.

The method is based on the principle that all plants and animals, while they are alive, take in small amounts of rock carvings and engravings, potentially applicable to Paleolithic artifacts with a strong patina caused by exposure to desert dust.

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The method drastically reduces the quantity of datable material required.

SYNONYMS OR RELATED TERMS: amino-acid dating; aminostratigraphy; amino-acid racemization, amino acid racemization CATEGORY: technique DEFINITION: A method of absolute (chronometric) dating which is hoped to fill the gap between radiocarbon dates and potassium-argon dates.

In areas where variations in the Earth's magnetic field are known it is possible to date a pottery sample on a curve.

This method yields an absolute date within about 50 years."CATEGORY: technique DEFINITION: Any of a serious of methods of analyzing bone samples, especially by measuring fluorine, uranium, nitrogen -- also called the FUN technique -- or by using stratigraphy.