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Geochronology Lab
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A lab that measures ages from the elements contained in minerals to uncover the history of the Earth.
AboutAbout the lab
Dating minerals to explore the history of the Earth.
The Geochronology Lab uses the CHIME dating method, developed at Nagoya University, to determine the ages at which minerals formed.
The CHIME dating method determines ages by using an electron probe microanalyzer to measure the amounts of uranium, thorium, and lead in tiny portions of a mineral.
Targeting minerals such as zircon and monazite, the lab measures ages in areas as narrow as about one-twentieth the width of a human hair.
The lab belongs to the Chronological Research Division of the Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research, and the division's faculty are in charge of graduate education as cooperating faculty of the Earth History Science group, a cooperating group of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the Graduate School of Environmental Studies.
Key terms
- CHIME dating method
- A method of determining when a mineral formed from the amounts of uranium, thorium, and lead in a very small portion of the mineral
- Electron probe microanalyzer
- An analytical instrument that accurately measures the amounts of elements in a very small portion of a mineral. It is used in the CHIME dating method
- Monazite
- An accessory mineral found in very small amounts in rocks. It is a target of CHIME dating
ResearchResearch themes
The lab uses the CHIME dating method, which employs an electron probe microanalyzer, to analyze uranium, thorium, and lead in tiny portions of minerals and determine when the minerals formed. To investigate in detail the long history of the Earth, from several million years ago back to its formation, the method is applied to a variety of rock samples.
*Illustrative imagePrinciples of the CHIME Dating Method
This is a dating method developed independently at Nagoya University. It determines age from chemical composition without isotope measurement, and was developed to make dating more detailed, faster, and simpler.
*Illustrative imageMinerals Used for Dating
The lab dates minerals contained in rocks, such as zircon and monazite, in extremely narrow areas about one-twentieth the width of a human hair. Accessory minerals such as xenotime are also targets.
*Illustrative imageFrom the World's Oldest Rocks to Anchor Stones
The CHIME dating method is applied not only to Earth science samples but also to archaeological samples. Examples include measurements of the world's oldest rock, the oldest rock in Japan, and the anchor stone found at Takashima, an anchor from the ships on which the Yuan attacked Japan during the Mongol invasions.
MembersFaculty
- ProfessorMasayo Minami
- Associate ProfessorTakenori Kato
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “EPMA GTK Espoo” Kallerna / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Principles of the CHIME Dating Method: “Electron probe microanalyser” Kierano / Public domain (cropped)
- Minerals Used for Dating: “Monazite-(Ce)-132057” Robert M. Lavinsky / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- From the World's Oldest Rocks to Anchor Stones: “Acasta gneiss” Pedroalexandrade / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Earth History (Nagoya University Museum) Lab): “Eurhinosaurus fossil located under the monumental staircase of the Gallery of Paleontology (French National Museum of Natural History, Paris)” Kintaro / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Earth History – Environmental History Lab): “1 MV accelerator mass spectrometer” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Global Water Cycle Science Division, Hydroclimatology Lab): “Permafrost Polygons ( )” Western Arctic National Parklands / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Earth and Planetary Dynamics Lab): “001 Volcano eruption of Litli-Hrútur in Iceland in 2023 Photo by Giles Laurent” Giles Laurent / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
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