stratigraphy

Etymology

Latin strati- + -graphy, from strātum.

noun

1. (geology) The study of rock layers and the layering process (stratification).
   The study of stratigraphy was at this point in its infancy, but it was already understood that different layers of rocks had been formed during different periods. 2014, Elizabeth Kolbert, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History, Picador, page 40
   On Earth, we chart the history of waterways by looking at sediment that is deposited over time. We call that stratigraphy, the idea that water transports sediment and you can measure the changes on Earth by understanding the way that sediment piles up. That's what we've done here—but it's Mars. 2022-10-27, Adrienne Berard, quoting Benjamin Cardenas, “Traces of ancient ocean discovered on Mars”, in phys.org
2. (archaeology) The layering of deposits, with newer remains overlaying older ones, forming a chronology of the site.