Dendrochronology
Definition
The science of dating by tree-ring sequences. Each annual ring encodes the growing conditions of that year; matching ring patterns to a master chronology can assign a felling date to the exact calendar year. In burial contexts it applies to associated wooden objects.
- What it dates
- Tree-ring sequences; provides exact calendar year of felling
- Forensic scope
- Wooden objects, buried timber, and structural wood
- Also reveals
- Past climate and growing conditions for each ring year
Common questions
How do tree rings help date evidence in forensic cases?+
Each annual ring records that year's growing conditions, creating a unique pattern. By matching the ring pattern from a wooden object to a master chronology, analysts can pinpoint the exact year the tree was felled. This applies to structural timber, buried wooden artifacts, or any wooden object found at a crime scene.
Can dendrochronology match wood to a specific tree?+
Yes. In forensic botany, tree-ring analysis can match cut wood to the original tree it came from. This is done by comparing the ring patterns between the recovered piece and potential source trees, establishing both source and approximate age.
What kinds of wood can be dated this way?+
Dendrochronology works on any wooden object where the ring sequence is readable. Common forensic applications include buried wooden artifacts and structural timber. The method also reveals past climate conditions, which can help reconstruct the environmental context around a scene.
Related terms
- AMS radiocarbon dating
- Accelerator Mass Spectrometry measurement of the ratio of carbon-14 to carbon-12 in a sample. It requires milligram-scale samples and produces a raw...
- Bomb-pulse dating
- Use of the post-1952 atmospheric 14C spike, produced by nuclear weapons testing, to date biological tissues formed since 1950. Because the spike...
- Calibration curve
- A plot of instrument response (peak area, absorbance, intensity) against analyte concentration, built from five to seven standards spanning the expected case...
- Forensic botany
- The application of plant science, including morphology, anatomy, palynology, and molecular biology, to criminal and civil legal proceedings.
- Locard exchange principle
- The forensic principle that contact between two surfaces transfers material in both directions. Plant material, pollen, seeds, and leaf fragments all transfer...
- OSL (Optically Stimulated Luminescence)
- A dating method that measures the accumulated radiation dose stored in mineral grains (usually quartz or feldspar) since they were last exposed...
- Palynology
- The study of pollen grains and spores. In forensic work it links persons, objects, or remains to specific geographic locations through the...
- Post-mortem interval (PMI)
- The time elapsed between death and discovery of the body. Entomological PMI estimation gives a minimum PMI based on the developmental age...
- Provenance
- In ceramic petrology, the geographic area from which the raw materials (clay and temper) were sourced; distinct from production place (where the...
- Terminus post quem (TPQ)
- Latin for 'limit after which.' The date of the youngest datable item in a context sets the earliest possible date for the...
Explained in these topics
- Radiocarbon and Other Dating MethodsThe science of dating by tree-ring sequences. Each annual ring encodes the growing conditions of that year; matching ring patterns to a master chronology can a...
- Scope and History of Forensic BotanyTree-ring analysis used to date wood or reconstruct past climatic conditions. In forensic botany it can date structural timber and match cut wood to a specific...