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Quantifying the impact of former glaciation on catchment‐wide denudation rates derived from cosmogenic 10 Be
Author(s) -
Glotzbach Christoph,
Röttjer Markus,
Hampel Andrea,
Hetzel Ralf,
Kubik Peter W.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/ter.12085
Subject(s) - denudation , geology , deglaciation , glacial period , cosmogenic nuclide , geomorphology , physical geography , paleontology , cosmic ray , tectonics , physics , astronomy , geography
Glacial denudation can significantly perturb terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide depth profiles and, if this is not corrected for, derived apparent denudation rates will overestimate the actual denudation rates. Here we determine how much 10 Be‐derived denudation rates – calculated under the assumption of steady state – deviate from actual denudation rates as a function of three parameters: (1) the total amount of glacial denudation, (2) the post‐glacial denudation rate and (3) the time elapsed since deglaciation. We provide correction lines for the full parameter space explored (glacial denudation: 0.01–100 m; post‐glacial denudation rate: 1–1000 mm/ka; deglaciation: 1–100 ka before present), to evaluate and, if necessary, correct denudation rates for the impact of glacial denudation. Applied to 10 Be‐derived catchment‐averaged denudation rates for formerly glaciated catchments in the Black Forest, Germany, we find that uncorrected denudation rates overestimate actual rates by up to a factor of three.