Quantifiying Paleo-denudation rates with cosmogenic nuclides in European river terraces

• Applicant: Dr. Mirjam Schaller
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2011 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 191746289

• Final Report Year: 2015

Final Report Abstract

Four European river terraces were sampled for cosmogenic nuclide analysis to determine terrace formation ages. In each of these areas, approximately ten terrace levels were collected. 92 selected samples were prepared to determine terrace formation ages by isochron burial and depth profile dating. The cosmogenic nuclide analysis from this project advanced our understanding in two main ways: • First, the cosmogenic nuclide­based ages are generally older than ages derived from relative age constraints (e.g., modeling, magnetostratigraphy). This observation calls for further age investigations in the selected terrace sequences as well as revision of existing age constraints • Second, catchment-wide Paleo-denudation rates in all four climatic settings are generally in the same order of magnitude as present-day catchment-wide denudation rates. However, as present-day denudation rates were collected from different geomorphic settings and Paleo-denudation rates represent one setting at a certain time interval, a direct comparison of these denudation rates needs to be assessed with caution.

Publications

• (2014). Temporal and latitudinal cosmogenic nuclide-derived denudation rates from European river terraces. Geophysical Research Abstracts, 16, EGU2014-2647, EGU General Assembly, Vienna, 27 Apr – 02 May
  Schaller, M., Ehlers, T.A.
  
• 2014. Cosmogenic Nuclides and Erosion at the Watershed Scale. Elements, 10. 369-373
  Granger, D.E., and Schaller, M.
  
• (2015). Small Variation in Fluvial Denudation Rates Between Glacial-Interglacial Cycles: Insights from Paleoclimate Modeling and Cosmogenic Nuclides from European River Terraces. Abstract presented at 2015 Fall Meeting, AGU, San Francisco, Calif., 14­18 Dec.
  Ehlers, T.A., Schaller, M.
  
• 2015. Authigenic Be as a tool to date river terrace sediments? An example from a late Miocene hominid locality in Bulgaria. Quaternary Geochronology, 29, 6-15
  Schaller, M., Lachner, J., Christl, M., Maden, C., Spassov, N., Ilg, A. Böhme, M.