THEORY AND APPLICATION OF COSMOGENIC NUCLIDE 10BE IN THE STUDY OF PALEOEROSION RATE

Abstract

Cosmogenic nuclide 10Be in fluvial sediments records the information of paleo-erosion rate on million-year scale, which provides a reliable way to quantitatively reveal the interactions among tectonics, climate, and surface processes. Although the study on the acquisition of paleo-erosion rate based on cosmogenic nuclides is still in its infancy, this approach makes up the limitations and shortcomings of evaluating the erosion rate by the sedimentation rate in basin, and has a higher temporal resolution than the thermochronometers. On the basis of reviewing the principle of calculating the catchment-averaged erosion rate by in situ produced cosmogenic 10Be concentration, we mainly elaborated the theories, calculation parameters, assumptions, preconditions and sampling strategies of acquiring paleo-erosion rates using 10Be nuclide concentration from fluvial sediments, and were aiming to promote more applications use of this approach in the studies of surface processes. Subsequently, case studies have been summarized to reveal the tectonic or climatic driven geomorphological evolution by using this method. Lastly, the future application direction of paleoerosion rate research would be considered, which is expected to clarify the interrelationship among tectonic, climatic and surface erosion processes, and further promote the quantitative research of the geomorphological evolution of the Tibetan Plateau during the Late Cenozoic.