1. Institute of Geomechanics, CAGS, Beijing 100081, China; 2. Chinese Academ y of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China; 3. China National Geological Library, Beijing 100083, China

Geothermochronology based on mineral closure temperatures and geochronological methods such as U-Pb, Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, Lu-Hf, Re-Os, ⁴⁰Ar /³⁹ Ar, FT, (U-Th) /He, TIMS U-series, cosmogenetic nuclide ( including ¹⁴C, etc. ) and ³H /³He for young groundwater dating is reviewed in this paper. The developmental trend of international geochronology in recent one hundred years and Chinese geochronology from 1980 s is discussed through the statistics of geochronological documents. According to analyzing the data on usage of geochrono- logical methods, the U-Pb, ⁴⁰Ar /³⁹Ar and ¹⁴C methods are widdy used and reliable geochronometers in recent years. The low temperature thermochronology method which applied in mountain exhumation and geomorphic formation and the dating of young geological body such as ground waterwill be the important developmental trend of geochronology.