Sclerochronology is the study of physical and chemical variations in the accretionary hard tissues of organisms, and the temporal context in which they formed. Sclerochronology focuses primarily upon growth patterns reflecting annual, monthly, fortnightly, tidal, daily, and sub-daily increments of time entrained by a host of environmental and astronomical pacemakers. Familiar examples include yearly banding in reef coral skeletons or daily and annual growth increments and lines in mollusk shells. Sclerochronology is analogous to dendrochronology, the study of annual rings in trees, and equally seeks to deduce organismal life history traits as well as to reconstruct records of environmental and climatic change through time and space.

Anyone working on or interested in the formation and interpretation of growth increments in accretionary hard parts of invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, their geochemistry and crystal fabrics or the underlying processes of biomineralization, should attend this conference. Come to Mainz, share your thoughts and help to bring this fast-developing field forward

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