| Amino Acid Racemitization (AAR) | a method of estimating the age of fossils based on the time elapsed since amino acid molecules formed post-mortem |
| Biostratigraphy | the organisation of strata according to fossil material |
| Chronostratigraphy | the organisation of strata according to absolute age |
| Deposit/sediment | form through the accumulation or deposition of minerals and organic material |
| Diatoms | single cell algae that has a cell wall made of silica that is often preserved in deposits/sediments |
| Dinoflagellate cysts | single celled algae that live in marine and freshwater environments, their cysts are often preserved in deposits/sediments |
| Foraminifera | single celled organisms that live in marine environments that build a shell that is often preserved in deposits/sediments |
| Geological period | an interval of time defined by the geological history of the Earth |
| Geological epoch | geological periods are subdivided into epochs, which are periods of time defined by the geological history of the earth |
| Geological sub-epoch | geological epochs are subdivided into sub-epochs, which are periods of time defined by the geological history of the earth |
| Glacio-isostatic Adjustment (GIA) | the movement of landing response to loading by ice during glacial periods |
| Glaciolacustrine | Sediments laid down in a lake under or in front of an ice sheet |
| Glaciotectonised | when sediments are deformed by processes occurring in and around ice sheets |
| Infrared Stimulated Luminescence (IRSL) | a method for determining the age of deposits/sediments by measuring the luminescence properties after stimulation by infrared light in relation to amount of radiation the material has received in the natural environment |
| ka | thousands of years |
| Lithology | the physical characteristics of deposits/sediments (strata) |
| Lithostratigraphy | the organisation of strata according to lithology |
| Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) | an interval of time defines by the Earths palaeoclimatic record determined from marine isotope records |
| Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) | a method for determining the age of deposits/sediments by measuring the luminescence properties after stimulation by UV-light in relation to amount of radiation the material has received in the natural environment |
| Palaeo-secular variation (PSV) | changes in the Earths geomagnetic field through time which if measured in deposits/sediments can be indicative of age |
| Penecontemporaneous | deposition occurred immediately after deposition of another strata |
| Sea-level index points (SLIPs) | Evidence from a variety of sources (e.g. sedimentary, fossil, chemical) that define the elevation of past relative sea level at a specific point in time |
| Seismostratigraphy | the organisation of strata according to the characteristics of seismic data |
| Strata | a layer of deposits/sediment |
| Stratigraphy | the relative order of different strata |
| Subaerially | existing or formed in the open air, not underwater |
| Sub-fossil | part of a dead organism that is partly fossilised |
| Palaeoclimate | Past climate |
| Post IR IRSL | a specific experimental technique used in infrared stimulated luminescence dating |
Image credit: Aurochsen, Wessex Archaeology CC BY-NC 2.0
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