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Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-43
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-43
17 Mar 2022
 | 17 Mar 2022

Quantification of post-glacier erosion in the European Alps using 10Be and OSL exposure dating

Joanne Elkadi, Benjamin Lehmann, Georgina King, Olivia Steinemann, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Marcus Christl, and Frederic Herman

Abstract. The retreat of glaciers since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in the European Alps has left an imprint on topography through glacial and non-glacial erosional processes. However, few methods are currently capable of resolving these mechanisms on Lateglacial to Holocene timescales. Quantifying the relative contributions of mountain erosion, during these different climate cycles, is useful for understanding long-term landscape evolution and the links between global climate and erosion. Here, we combine three Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) exposure dating signals with 10Be surface exposure dating to constrain the post-glacier erosion rates of bedrock samples down a vertical transect adjacent to the Gorner glacier in Zermatt, Switzerland. The results reveal erosion rates on the order of 10-2 to 10-1 mm a-1, in general agreement with other studies in the region, as well as a strong negative correlation between erosion rates and elevation. Finally, at present glacial erosion is assumed to have a greater influence on landscapes, yet a global compilation of both glacial and non-glacial erosion rates in deglaciated environments shows that erosion rates during interglacial times could be equally important.

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Journal article(s) based on this preprint

19 Sep 2022
Quantification of post-glacier bedrock surface erosion in the European Alps using 10Be and optically stimulated luminescence exposure dating
Joanne Elkadi, Benjamin Lehmann, Georgina E. King, Olivia Steinemann, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Marcus Christl, and Frédéric Herman
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 909–928, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-909-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-909-2022, 2022
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The requested preprint has a corresponding peer-reviewed final revised paper. You are encouraged to refer to the final revised version.

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Glacial and non-glacial processes have left a strong imprint on the landscape of the European...
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