Event chronostratigraphy: a high-resolution tool for dating the recent past

The most recent part of the geological timescale presents us with some of the greatest challenges for dating. With the exception of 230Th/234U methods, whose use is restricted to rather specific depositional environments, there is no established geochronometric tool capable of dating more than a fraction of the recent past at a resolution adequate to tackle the environmental issues of this period. Event stratigraphy, the investigation of comparatively rare and abrupt occurrences that leave some trace in the stratigraphic record, has been widely employed as a means of correlation and dating of older geological strata. Yet this approach has frequently been overlooked in efforts to establish chronologies of the recent past. It is ironic, therefore, that because of the acceleration of human activity, stratigraphic events have almost certainly occurred with greater frequency over the last few centuries than at any preceding time in Earth history. Because the history of human-induced events is usually well-established, the markers of such events have immense chronostratigraphic value. They may be employed in circumstances in which radiometric techniques may not be suitable, and may offer higher-resolution dates than those associated with conventional dating methods. Dated event horizons may also provide the essential means by which to validate geochronometric analyses of the recent past.

Event markers may be divided into those that produce discontinuities in the rock record and those (of much greater value in the terrestrial deposits that are the focus of most investigations of the recent past) that leave some tangible signal in the rocks. These signals may be the result of either natural factors or human-induced processes, and may occur in a range of temporal contexts. They may mark the instant of occurrence of a short-lived phenomenon, or they may represent the abrupt disappearance or sudden appearance of some feature. This paper reviews each of these markers, focusing specifically on their application to the chronology of the recent past and the global environmental transformation that has taken place during this time.