Morphologic dating techniques that have been applied successfully in arid and semi-arid areas are also suitable for slowly evolving scarps that are usually found in temperate climate environments. Two approaches, based on diffusion, to relate the present-day shape of a scarp to its age are used here. The first assumes a model of scarp degradation based on a diffusive process (D method). The second evaluates the state of scarp degradation using the slope distribution along a topographic profile (SD method). Based on an anthropic scarp of known age, we have obtained a mass diffusivity close to 1.5 m2/ka, a reasonable value for areas characterized by a continuous vegetation cover and a temperate climate. We show that the SD method requires an age correction, since it does not take into account the earliest stage for which the mid-height point is not yet affected by erosion. However only the SD method reveals that at several profiles a later scarp reactivation event has occurred. Such information can be important when trying to identify the recent geological or environmental events that have affected a region. ¿ 1998 American Geophysical Union