The history and status of geochronology in Ghana

The history of geochronology in Ghana is traced. This has been divided into two main periods. The first is the time interval between 1954 and 1978 when all radiometric age determinations of Ghanaian rocks were completely undertaken outside Ghana. The second is the period beginning with the date when the first age was produced entirely locally till the present. Details of the set-up of the geochronology laboratory in Ghana are given, pointing out the main difficulties. The relevance of radiometric age data to the understanding of the geology of Ghana is discussed together with a catalogue and review of up-to-date age data for Ghana. (author)