Which dating method analyzes tree rings to determine age?

• A. Thermoluminescence
• B. Radiocarbon dating
• C. Dendrochronology
• D. Potassium-argon dating

Answer: (C)

Dendrochronology uses the growth rings of trees to determine age. Each year a tree adds one ring, and the pattern of ring widths and anomalies records growth conditions such as rainfall and temperature. By counting rings from the outermost ring inward, you can find how old the tree was when it stopped growing or estimate the age of a wooden object made from that tree. When scientists cross-check ring patterns with a master chronology from many trees, they can assign precise calendar years to specific rings, which lets them date the wood itself and often determine the year the tree was felled. Other dating methods rely on radioactive decay or mineral properties and do not involve tree rings.