Archaeomagnetic dating is an absolute dating technique that relies on the fact that the earth’s magnetic field (the “North Pole”) changes in direction and intensity through time, and that certain archaeological features preserve evidence of the pole’s location at specific times.

Absolute dating is the process of determining an age on a specified chronology in archaeology and geology. Absolute dating provides a numerical age or range, in contrast with relative dating, which places events in order without any measure of the age between events.

Carbon-14 has a relatively short half-life, so its use for absolute dating is limited to a maximum of about 60,000 years….Relative Age.

In general, numerical dating (whether OSL, radiocarbon, or other) produces an absolute age; that is, it results in an age which is a known number of years before the present day, and which allows the associated event (e.g. use/manu- facture) to be assigned a calendar date.

Radiometric dates are always subject to margins of error, whereas a rock’s paleomagnetic polarity is absolute. Knowing the paleomagnetic polarity of a sample can, therefore, give an independent means of constraining its age. Most rocks that preserve paleomagnetism (igneous) can also be radiometrically dated.

Relative dating is the process of determining if one rock or geologic event is older or younger than another, without knowing their specific ages—i.e., how many years ago the object was formed.

Is the extrusion older or younger than rock layer B? The extrusion is younger because extrusions are always younger than the rock layers below them.