geological dating
- noun
- /ˌdʒiəˈlɒdʒɪkəl ˈdeɪtɪŋ/
- Specialized
:
datación geológica
- By applying geological dating techniques, the team was able to estimate the age of the fossil more accurately.
Examples
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The geological dating is essential!
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Advances in geological dating have improved our understanding of Earth's history.
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Scientists used geological dating to determine that the rocks were more than a billion years old.
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The geological dating process is fascinating.
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Geological dating revealed that these fossils are over 75 million years old.
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By using geological dating, scientists can accurately determine when a volcanic eruption occurred.
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The team used geological dating methods to establish the timeline of rock formation in the area.
Synonyms
49
7.4
Finding how old rocks, fossils, or objects are by chemical tests
1
8.2
A study that finds how old rocks are and when Earth events happened
How Accurate
- Specialized
1
4.8
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'geological' (relating to Earth's physical structure) qualifies 'dating' (determining an age), so 'geological dating' straightforwardly means determining the age of rocks/fossils. This modifier+noun pattern is common across languages and would be inferable by a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Geological dating comes from the idea of giving rocks a 'birthday': scientists read natural marks, like tree rings or tiny 'clocks' inside minerals, to tell how old a rock is. So geological (rock-related) plus dating (finding an 'age') explains why it means 'finding the age of rocks, fossils, or formations'.