Geochronology

Journal Title：Geochronology

Geochronology is a science that studies the time frame of Earth's history, reconstructing the geological history of the Earth by determining the ages of rocks, minerals, and fossils. This discipline is crucial for understanding the evolution of the Earth, the evolution of living organisms, and environmental changes. Geochronology not only helps scientists determine the relative age of geological strata, but also provides absolute age determination, thus providing accurate time scales for the Earth's past. Geological chronology is mainly divided into two categories: relative chronology and absolute chronology. Relative chronology infers the relative age of strata through the stacking relationships of strata and the distribution patterns of fossils. For example, if one stratum covers another stratum, the underlying stratum is usually considered older. Absolute chronology, on the other hand, determines the exact age of rocks or minerals through the decay patterns of radioactive isotopes. The most commonly used radiometric dating methods include uranium lead dating, potassium argon dating, and carbon-14 dating.

In the development process of geochronology, some important time units have been defined, such as the era, epoch, epoch, period, etc., which constitute the geological time scale. This time scale is internationally recognized and helps scientists to discuss and compare geological events on a global scale in a unified manner. For example, the Phanerozoic was a period of great biological explosion in Earth's history, including the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras. The application of geochronology is very extensive, not only for basic scientific research, but also for important fields such as resource exploration, environmental assessment, and disaster prevention. For example, by understanding the age of geological strata, geologists can predict the distribution of certain mineral resources or assess the risk of geological hazards.

《地质年代学》是一门研究地球历史时间框架的科学，它通过测定岩石、矿物和化石的年龄来重建地球的地质历史。这门学科对于理解地球的演变过程、生物的进化以及环境变化至关重要。地质年代学不仅帮助科学家们确定地层的相对年龄，还能够提供绝对年龄的测定，从而为地球的过去提供精确的时间尺度。地质年代学主要分为相对年代学和绝对年代学两大类。相对年代学通过地层的叠置关系、化石的分布规律等来推断地层的相对年龄。例如，如果一个地层覆盖在另一个地层之上，那么下面的地层通常被认为更古老。而绝对年代学则通过放射性同位素的衰变规律来测定岩石或矿物的确切年龄。最常用的放射性定年方法包括铀-铅定年、钾-氩定年和碳-14定年等。

地质年代学的发展历程中，一些重要的时间单位被定义，如宙、代、纪、世、期等，它们构成了地质时间尺度。这个时间尺度是国际上公认的，它帮助科学家们在全球范围内统一地讨论和比较地质事件。例如，显生宙是地球历史上生物大爆发的时期，包括古生代、中生代和新生代三个代。地质年代学的应用非常广泛，它不仅用于基础科学研究，还对资源勘探、环境评估和灾害预防等领域有着重要的意义。例如，通过了解地层的年龄，地质学家可以预测某些矿产资源的分布，或者评估地质灾害的风险。

Geochronology由Copernicus Publications出版商出版，收稿方向涵盖Earth and Planetary Sciences - Paleontology全领域，平均审稿速度 19 Weeks ，影响因子指数2.7，该期刊近期没有被列入国际期刊预警名单，广大学者值得一试。