ClimateAugust 27, 2026
radiometric
RAY-dee-uh-MET-rik
Definition
Relating to the measurement of time or age using the natural radioactive decay of isotopes within a sample.
Etymology
Derived from 'radio-' (from Latin radius, 'ray') and '-metric' (from Greek metron, 'measure'). It refers to techniques developed in the early 20th century to date geological materials by measuring the decay of radioactive isotopes.
In the news
The authors used radiometric dating to determine the exact age of ancient, fossilized coral samples, allowing them to reconstruct climate history over thousands of years.
Galápagos corals show El Niño events are more extreme now than in past 1,000 years – here’s how my team made the discovery - 28-Aug-2026 - NZ Environment news
Read the full article ↗NZ City