ABSTRACT
Most geomorphological studies involve measurement of the passage of time usually, though not necessarily, with respect to the position of events in the calendar scale. Many geochronological studies are inseparable from studies of past environments, climatic fluctuations or determinations of the rate of geomorphological processes. Two general methods of measurement are employed: relative and absolute position in time. The most common relative scale-dating techniques used in geomorphology are morphological, where spatial measures are used to determine relative temporal occurrence in the landscape; and stratigraphical, which considers the attitudes, discontinuities and physical properties of geomorphological deposits and includes semi-precise techniques such as the study of preserved flora, fauna and pollen, fossil soils and volcanic ash sequences and artefacts. The chronological age of a palaeosol includes a statement of both the length of time needed for its development and the approximate date of occurrence both of which, in the absence of absolute dating, are determined by stratigraphical position.
