Articles | Volume 8, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-8-547-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-8-547-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
15 Sep 2026
Research article |
| 15 Sep 2026
| 15 Sep 2026
Meteoric beryllium-10 fluxes from soil inventory measurements in the East River watershed, Colorado, USA
José M. Marmolejo-Cossío
Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 01003, USA
Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 01003, USA
Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
Eyal Marder
Department of Earth, Geographic, and Climate Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 01003, USA
Alan J. Hidy
Center for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, 94550, USA
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Gregor M. Rink, Gordon R. M. Bromley, Brenda L. Hall, Alan J. Hidy, and Zuzanna M. Swirad
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3761, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3761, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurf).
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To identify drivers of coastal erosion in western Ireland, we reconstructed cliff-retreat rates at two sites via cosmogenic nuclide geochemistry and modelling. At both sites, cliff retreat decelerated during the Holocene, but the rate of deceleration was spatially non-uniform due to differences in relative sea level. Variations in modern retreat rates likely reflect contrasting geomorphology, geology and different marine environments.
Tyler S. Anderson and Alan Hidy
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4091, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4091, 2026
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We have developed a new method to measure stable Cl isotope ratios in rocks, improving on the standard method by preparing our samples in niobium instead of a silver bromide. This technique improves signal to noise by a factor of ~100, reduces sample measurement time and cost, and makes isotopic analyses of as little as 1 microgram of Cl extracted from a rock possible. This improves measurement of 36Cl and makes small or chlorine-poor samples accessible for stable isotope analysis.
John C. Gosse, Alan J. Hidy, Lauren MacLellan, Joel Pederson, Maya Soukup, Gerald Raab, Matt Drew, Sophie Norris, Marie-Cécile Piro, and William U. Woodley
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4370, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4370, 2025
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A novel approach, µ-paleotopometry, bridges gaps among tools used to quantify landscape evolution. It computes landscape change by using concentrations of isotopes produced by cosmic rays deep below the Earth's surface to gauge changes in crustal shielding above each sample. We provide a state of knowledge, strategies, and limitations of this potentially useful approach to study landscape evolution at timescales that are important to tectonic and climatic processes and nuclear waste management.
Alia J. Lesnek, Joseph M. Licciardi, Alan J. Hidy, and Tyler S. Anderson
Geochronology, 6, 475–489, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-475-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-475-2024, 2024
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We present an improved workflow for extracting and measuring chlorine isotopes in rocks and minerals. Experiments on seven geologic samples demonstrate that our workflow provides reliable results while offering several distinct advantages over traditional methods. Most notably, our workflow reduces the amount of isotopically enriched chlorine spike used per rock sample by up to 95 %, which will allow researchers to analyze more samples using their existing laboratory supplies.
Greg Balco, Alan J. Hidy, William T. Struble, and Joshua J. Roering
Geochronology, 6, 71–76, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-71-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-6-71-2024, 2024
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We describe a new method of reconstructing the long-term, pre-observational frequency and/or intensity of wildfires in forested landscapes using trace concentrations of the noble gases helium and neon that are formed in soil mineral grains by cosmic-ray bombardment of the Earth's surface.
Jacob T. H. Anderson, Toshiyuki Fujioka, David Fink, Alan J. Hidy, Gary S. Wilson, Klaus Wilcken, Andrey Abramov, and Nikita Demidov
The Cryosphere, 17, 4917–4936, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4917-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4917-2023, 2023
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Antarctic permafrost processes are not widely studied or understood in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Our data show that near-surface permafrost sediments were deposited ~180 000 years ago in Pearse Valley, while in lower Wright Valley sediments are either vertically mixed after deposition or were deposited < 25 000 years ago. Our data also record Taylor Glacier retreat from Pearse Valley ~65 000–74 000 years ago and support antiphase dynamics between alpine glaciers and sea ice in the Ross Sea.
Allie Balter-Kennedy, Joerg M. Schaefer, Roseanne Schwartz, Jennifer L. Lamp, Laura Penrose, Jennifer Middleton, Jean Hanley, Bouchaïb Tibari, Pierre-Henri Blard, Gisela Winckler, Alan J. Hidy, and Greg Balco
Geochronology, 5, 301–321, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-301-2023, 2023
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Cosmogenic nuclides like 10Be are rare isotopes created in rocks exposed at the Earth’s surface and can be used to understand glacier histories and landscape evolution. 10Be is usually measured in the mineral quartz. Here, we show that 10Be can be reliably measured in the mineral pyroxene. We use the measurements to determine exposure ages and understand landscape processes in rocks from Antarctica that do not have quartz, expanding the use of this method to new rock types.
Benjamin J. Stoker, Martin Margold, John C. Gosse, Alan J. Hidy, Alistair J. Monteath, Joseph M. Young, Niall Gandy, Lauren J. Gregoire, Sophie L. Norris, and Duane Froese
The Cryosphere, 16, 4865–4886, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4865-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4865-2022, 2022
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The Laurentide Ice Sheet was the largest ice sheet to grow and disappear in the Northern Hemisphere during the last glaciation. In northwestern Canada, it covered the Mackenzie Valley, blocking the migration of fauna and early humans between North America and Beringia and altering the drainage systems. We reconstruct the timing of ice sheet retreat in this region and the implications for the migration of early humans into North America, the drainage of glacial lakes, and past sea level rise.
Mae Kate Campbell, Paul R. Bierman, Amanda H. Schmidt, Rita Sibello Hernández, Alejandro García-Moya, Lee B. Corbett, Alan J. Hidy, Héctor Cartas Águila, Aniel Guillén Arruebarrena, Greg Balco, David Dethier, and Marc Caffee
Geochronology, 4, 435–453, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-435-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-435-2022, 2022
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We used cosmogenic radionuclides in detrital river sediment to measure erosion rates of watersheds in central Cuba; erosion rates are lower than rock dissolution rates in lowland watersheds. Data from two different cosmogenic nuclides suggest that some basins may have a mixed layer deeper than is typically modeled and could have experienced significant burial after or during exposure. We conclude that significant mass loss may occur at depth through chemical weathering processes.
Leah A. VanLandingham, Eric W. Portenga, Edward C. Lefroy, Amanda H. Schmidt, Paul R. Bierman, and Alan J. Hidy
Geochronology, 4, 153–176, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-153-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-153-2022, 2022
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This study presents erosion rates of the George River and seven of its tributaries in northeast Tasmania, Australia. These erosion rates are the first measures of landscape change over millennial timescales for Tasmania. We demonstrate that erosion is closely linked to a topographic rainfall gradient across George River. Our findings may be useful for efforts to restore ecological health to Georges Bay by determining a pre-disturbance level of erosion and sediment delivery to this estuary.
Sandra M. Braumann, Joerg M. Schaefer, Stephanie M. Neuhuber, Christopher Lüthgens, Alan J. Hidy, and Markus Fiebig
Clim. Past, 17, 2451–2479, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2451-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2451-2021, 2021
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Glacier reconstructions provide insights into past climatic conditions and elucidate processes and feedbacks that modulate the climate system both in the past and present. We investigate the transition from the last glacial to the current interglacial and generate beryllium-10 moraine chronologies in glaciated catchments of the eastern European Alps. We find that rapid warming was superimposed by centennial-scale cold phases that appear to have influenced large parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
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Short summary
Collision of cosmic rays with the atmosphere produces rare atoms, including beryllium-10, which falls out in precipitation and binds to soils. Measurements on glacial deposits from the last ice age in Colorado, USA show that millions of beryllium-10 atoms fall on each square centimeter of land each year. The rate of delivery increases with elevation and precipitation, which allowed us to make maps of the beryllium-10 flux for an entire watershed that will be used to measure erosion rates.
Collision of cosmic rays with the atmosphere produces rare atoms, including beryllium-10, which...
