Modelling detrital cooling-age populations: insights from two Himalayan catchments

The distribution of detrital mineral cooling ages in river sediment provides a proxy record for the erosional history of mountain ranges. We have developed a numerical model that predicts detrital mineral age distributions for individual catchments in which particle paths move vertically toward the surface. Despite a restrictive set of assumptions, the model permits theoretical exploration of the effects of thermal structure, erosion rate, and topography on cooling ages. Hypsometry of the source‐area catchment is shown to exert a fundamental control on the frequency distribution of bedrock and detrital ages. We illustrate this approach by generating synthetic ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar muscovite age distributions for two catchments with contrasting erosion rates in central Nepal and then by comparing actual measured cooling‐age distributions with the synthetic ones. Monte Carlo sampling is used to assess the mismatch between observed and synthetic age distributions and to explore the dependence of that mismatch on the complexity of the synthetic age signal and on the number of grains analysed. Observed detrital cooling ages are well matched by predicted ages for a more slowly eroding Himalayan catchment. A poorer match for a rapidly eroding catchment may result from some combination of large analytical uncertainties in the detrital ages and inhomogeneous erosion rates within the basin. Such mismatches emphasize the need for more accurate thermal and kinematic models and for sampling strategies that are adapted to catchment‐specific geologic and geomorphic conditions.     

对黄土磁化率、粒度年龄模型的检验(自检)

利用临夏塬堡剖面高分辨率的黄土记录,将研究剖面土壤地层界线,即剖面2.3m处的MIS1/2的分界线年龄11.5KaBP、剖面21.4m处的MIS3/4的分界线年龄59.8KaBP组成三种节点控制年龄模式,分界线年龄的获得依据南京葫芦洞石笋气候事件年龄确定,即模式1:0KaBP⁵9.8KaBP;模式2:0KaBP¹1.5KaBP和11.5KaBP⁵9.8KaBP;模式3:11.5KaBP⁵9.8KaBP。运用磁化率年龄模型和粒度年龄模型分别计算研究剖面各个层位的地层沉积时间,结合剖面岩性和气候阶段对相同层位的计算年龄对比分析后发现:磁化率年龄模型和粒度年龄模型均存在缺陷,但以模式2作为节点控制年龄时,即在冰期或间冰期内选取合适的节点控制年龄,利用磁化率年龄模型或粒度年龄模型高分辨率确定的地层沉积时间与地层实际的沉积时间较接近,且在冰期或间冰期内节点控制年龄越多确定的地层沉积时间越趋近实际沉积时间。     

Geochronologic evidence for Early Cretaceous volcanic activity on Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica

Ages of six volcanic and plutonic rocks on Barton Peninsula, King George Island, were determined using ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and K-Ar isotopic systems. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and K-Ar ages of basaltic andesite and diorite range from 48 My to 74 My and systematically decrease toward the upper stratigraphic section. Two specimens of basaltic andesite which occur in the lowermost sequence of the peninsula, however, apparently define two distinct plateau ages of 52-53 My and 119-120 My. The latter is interpreted to represent the primary cooling age of basaltic andesite, whereas the former is interpreted as the thermally-reset age caused by the intrusion of Tertiary granitic pluton. The isochron ages calculated from the isotope correlation diagram corroborate our interpretation based on the apparent plateau ages. It is therefore likely that volcanism was active during the Early Cretaceous on Barton Peninsula. When the K-Ar ages of previous studies are taken into account with our result, the ages of basaltic andesite in the northern part of the Barton Peninsula are significantly older than those in the southern part. Across the north-west-south-east trending Barton fault bounding the two parts, there are significant differences in geochronologic and geologic aspects.     

Decoding post-orogenic sediment recycling and dispersal using detrital zircon core and rim ages

Detrital zircon (DZ) geochronology has become a popular tool in provenance studies during the past two decades. However, similar zircon crystallization ages from different source regions greatly hamper the interpretation of sediment dispersal and recycling processes. The Alleghenian–Ouachita–Marathon (AOM) foreland and vicinity in North America is a region where some dominant DZ age groups could come from both the southern Appalachians in the eastern United States and the Gondwanan terranes in Mexico. In this study, we present 1045 new DZ U–Pb ages and 81 DZ core–rim age pairs in lower Permian sandstone in the Permian Basin and Miocene sandstone in the eastern Gulf of Mexico (GOM). These new data were integrated with published DZ single U–Pb age and core–rim ages from syn- to post-orogenic strata in the Permian Basin, Marathon foldbelt, southern Appalachian foreland basin and eastern GOM to interpret the sediment-dispersal models in the AOM foreland and eastern GOM. Our models show that during the Leonardian Stage, sediments derived from the Appalachians were first delivered to the US midcontinent and then recycled to the Permian Basin; during the Miocene, sediment from the Appalachians fluxed to the eastern GOM, with no longshore mixing from the western GOM. These models based on the integration of single U–Pb and core–rim ages are consistent with published results that used other methods, including zircon single U–Pb age, zircon Hf isotopic data, zircon (U–Th)/He age, sedimentology and stratigraphy. Our results demonstrate that although some limitations exist, zircon core–rim age is a powerful tool, adding an extra constraint on the interpretation of sediment-dispersal systems. This tool is particularly applicable to the post-orogenic stage, during which the sediment pathways are more complicated because of the dominant input from distal sources. Insights gained in this study imply that this novel strategy of using core and rim ages could be integrated with other methods to better understand sediment dispersal.     

Detrital zircon geochronology of Carboniferous–Cretaceous strata in the Lhasa terrane, Southern Tibet

Sedimentary strata in the Lhasa terrane of southern Tibet record a long but poorly constrained history of basin formation and inversion. To investigate these events, we sampled Palaeozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the Lhasa terrane for detrital zircon uranium–lead (U–Pb) analysis. The >700 detrital zircon U–Pb ages reported in this paper provide the first significant detrital zircon data set from the Lhasa terrane and shed new light on the tectonic and depositional history of the region. Collectively, the dominant detrital zircon age populations within these rocks are 100–150, 500–600 and 1000–1400 Ma. Sedimentary strata near Nam Co in central Lhasa are mapped as Lower Cretaceous but detrital zircons with ages younger than 400 Ma are conspicuously absent. The detrital zircon age distribution and other sedimentological evidence suggest that these strata are likely Carboniferous in age, which requires the existence of a previously unrecognized fault or unconformity. Lower Jurassic strata exposed within the Bangong suture between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes contain populations of detrital zircons with ages between 200 and 500 Ma and 1700 and 2000 Ma. These populations differ from the detrital zircon ages of samples collected in the Lhasa terrane and suggest a unique source area. The Upper Cretaceous Takena Formation contains zircon populations with ages between 100 and 160 Ma, 500 and 600 Ma and 1000 and 1400 Ma. Detrital zircon ages from these strata suggest that several distinct fluvial systems occupied the southern portion of the Lhasa terrane during the Late Cretaceous and that deposition in the basin ceased before 70 Ma. Carboniferous strata exposed within the Lhasa terrane likely served as source rocks for sediments deposited during Cretaceous time. Similarities between the lithologies and detrital zircon age‐probability plots of Carboniferous rocks in the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes and Tethyan strata in the Himalaya suggest that these areas were located proximal to one another within Gondwanaland. U–Pb ages of detrital zircons from our samples and differences between the geographic distribution of igneous rocks within the Tibetan plateau suggest that it is possible to discriminate a southern vs. northern provenance signature using detrital zircon age populations.     

我国南极橄辉无球粒陨石(GRV 024516)和H5球粒陨石(GRV 024517)宇宙射线暴露年龄和气体保存年龄

我国在南极格罗夫山陨石富集区回收的GRV024516和GRV024517陨石样品分别为橄辉无球粒陨石和H5普通球粒陨石,在矿物-岩石学研究的基础上测定和计算了这两个陨石的宇宙射线暴露年龄和气体保存年龄,其宇宙射线暴露年龄分别为33.3Ma和51.7Ma,气体保存年龄分别为1936.8Ma和3720Ma。橄辉无球粒陨石含金刚石、石墨和无定型碳,并为主要稀有气体的载体,且冲击变质效应明显,导致40Ar部分丢失。H5球粒陨石主要显示其母体内的热变质效应,其气体保存年龄落在未受严重冲击的H5球粒陨石范围(3220-4510Ma)内。     

Exposure ages and radiogenic ages of ureilite(GRV 024516) and ordinary chondrite(GRV 024517) from Antarctica

The GRV 024516 and GRV 024517 meteorite samples collected from Grove Montains,Antactica are ureilite and H5 ordinary chondrite,respectively.Based on the study of mineralogy-petrology,the cosmic-ray exposure ages and gas retention ages of these two meteorites were determinated and calculated.Their cosmic-ray exposure ages are 33.3 Ma,51.7 Ma,and gas retention ages are 1936.8 Ma and 3720 Ma,respectively.The ureilite contains diamond,graphite and amorphous C,which are mainly carrier of noble gases indicating obviously shock metamorphism effects,which induced 40Ar partial loss.The H5 chondrite indicates thermal metamorphism of parent body,its gas retention age fall the range between 3220 Ma and 4510 Ma of the least shocked H5 chondrites     

Cosmogenic He exposure ages of Pleistocene debris flows and desert pavements in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

The Quaternary history of the Capitol Reef area, Utah, is closely linked to the basaltic-andesite boulder deposits that cover much of the landscape. Understanding the age and mode of emplacement of these deposits is crucial to deciphering the Quaternary evolution of this part of the Colorado Plateau. Using cosmogenic ³He exposure age dating, we obtained apparent exposure ages for several key deposits in the Capitol Reef area. Coarse boulder diamicts capping the Johnson Mesa and Carcass Creek Terraces are not associated with the Bull Lake glaciation as previously thought, but were deposited 180±15 to 205±17 ka (minimum age) and are the result of debris flow deposition. Desert pavements on the Johnson Mesa surface give exposure ranging from 97±8 to 159±14 ka and are 34–96 kyears younger than the boulder exposure ages. The offset between the boulder and pavement exposure ages appears to be related to a delay in pavement formation until the penultimate glacial/interglacial transition or periodic burial and exposure of pavement clasts since debris flow deposition. Incision rates for the Capitol Reef reach of the Fremont River calculated from the boulder exposure ages range from 0.40 to 0.43 m kyear⁻¹ (maximum rates) and are some of the highest on the Colorado Plateau.     

闽粤沿海老红砂的热释光测年

采用再生热释光法对来自福建和广东沿海地区的39个老红砂样品进行了测年,其年龄约在0.9~6.8万年之间,表明闽粤沿海的老红砂是晚更新世中、晚期形成的风成沉积。     

Blind testing of rock varnish microstratigraphy as a chronometric indicator: results on late Quaternary lava flows in the Mojave Desert, California

Rock varnish is a manganiferous dark coating ubiquitous in desert landscapes. To test the validity of varnish microstratigraphy as a chronometric indicator, varnish samples were collected from radiometrically dated and undated late Quaternary lava flows in Amboy, Cima, and Pisgah volcanic fields (AVF, CVF, PVF) in the Mojave Desert of California, western United States. Varnish microstratigraphies show a replicable layering sequence that appears to record regional climate changes that likely correspond in time to the Younger Dryas and Heinrich events in the North Atlantic region. Microstratigraphic patterns on these volcanic fields match patterns found in varnishes from other western US sites with available radiometric age constraints. Based on this regional chronology, varnishes from the A flow, H flow, and a stone pavement surface in the Cima volcanic field were estimated to be 16.5–24, 74–85, and 74–85 ka, respectively; these ages are consistent with previously published cosmogenic ³He ages of 18–20, 72–74, and 80–85 ka for these geomorphic surfaces. Varnishes from the I flow at Cima yielded a puzzling age estimate of 39 ka, which is consistent with an older ³He age of 37±6 ka reported for the I flow, but inconsistent with a younger ³He age of 31±7 ka and a cosmogenic ³⁶Cl age of 27±1.3 ka for the same flow. Reinterpretation of the original varnish age data, with knowledge of then available field mapping results of the I flow, suggests that the I cone is polycyclic and different flow units were probably unintentionally sampled in the field. The revised varnish ages of 30 and 39 ka for the I flow thus may be in good agreement with their corresponding ³He and ³⁶Cl ages. In a blind test of the method, varnishes from the Phase 1 flow at Pisgah, an unnamed flow (called here the I′ flow) at Cima, and the Amboy flow were estimated to be 24–30, 46–60, and 74–85 ka, respectively; these ages agree well with ³⁶Cl ages of 22.5±1.3, 46±2, and 79±5 ka reported for the same flows by Phillips [Geomorphology (2002).]. These test results provide convincing evidence that varnish microstratigraphy, once radiometrically calibrated, can be used as a valid dating tool to estimate surface exposure ages of desert landforms in the western US drylands.     

长江中下游杨树抑螺防病林昆虫多样性的初步研究

对安庆市南埂林场长江沿岸杨树抑螺防病林3年生、8年生和20年生林地上空间昆虫群落的种群组成和多样性进行了调查。结果表明,在3种不同林龄林分之间,地上空间昆虫种群组成的差异表现为,在目一级分类单元组成上,3种不同林龄林分具有很高的共性,在科和种的单元上,不同林龄林分之间的差异大小依次为:3年生与20年生林分之间>3年生与8年生林分之间>8年生与20年生林分之间。随着林分林龄的增加,林内地上空间昆虫丰富度指数、Shannon-Wiener指数明显降低。不同林龄林分地上空间昆虫种群的均匀度指数与林分林龄无明显的相关性,其中20年生林分昆虫种群的均匀度指数显著低于8年生和3年生的林分,而8年生和3年生林分之间没有显著差异。     

巴丹吉林沙漠典型沉积物年代学研究评述

巴丹吉林沙漠内几种典型近地表沉积物,如风成沙、湖相沉积、冲洪积物等构成了巴丹吉林沙漠复杂多变的地貌景观.这些典型沉积物的年龄是探讨巴丹吉林沙漠地貌过程及其机理的最直接证据和基础数据.前人发表的这几种典型沉积物年龄,主要涉及380余个14C年龄和释光年龄,这些数据涵盖了170 ka至今的大部分时段.其中12 ka以来年龄...     

LICHENOMETRIC AGES OF THE LITTLE ICE AGE MORAINES ON KING GEORGE ISLAND AND OF THE LAST VOLCANIC ACTIVITY ON PENGUIN ISLAND (WEST ANTARCTICA)

The recently observed recession of glaciers on King George Island is associated with decades of climate warming in the Antarctic Peninsula region. However, with only 60 years of glaciological observations in the study area ages of the oldest moraines are still uncertain. The goal of the study was to estimate ages of lichen colonization on the oldest moraines of the Ecology and White Eagle Glaciers on King George Island and on the Principal Cone of Penguin Island volcano. The first lichenometric studies on these islands from the late 1970s used rates that had about four to five times slower Rhizocarpon growth rates. We re‐examined the sites and measured 996 thalli diameters to establish the surface ages. To estimate the age we used (1) long‐term Rhizocarpon lichen group growth rates established by authors using data from a previous lichenometric study on King George Island, and (2) previous data of lichen growth rates from other sub‐Antarctic islands. Our results suggest growth rates between 0.5 and 0.8 mm yr^–1. According to these rates the ages of the oldest moraine ridges are of the Little Ice Age and were colonized at the beginning of the twentieth century. The mid‐twentieth century age of lichen colonization on the historically active Penguin Island volcano might support the date of the last eruption reported by whalers in the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century.     

Sediment provenance and routing evolution in the Late Cretaceous–Eocene Ager Basin,south-central Pyrenees,Spain

This study constrains the sediment provenance for the Late Cretaceous–Eocene strata of the Ager Basin, Spain, and reconstructs the interplay between foreland basin subsidence and sediment routing within the south-central Pyrenean foreland basin during the early phases of crustal shortening using detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb-He double dating. Here we present and interpret 837 new DZ U-Pb ages, 113 of which are new DZ (U-Th)/He double-dated zircons. U-Pb-He double dating results allow for a clear differentiation between different foreland and hinterland sources of Variscan zircons (280–350 Ma) by leveraging the contrasting thermal histories of the Ebro Massif and Pyrenean orogen, recorded by the zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) ages, despite their indistinguishable U-Pb age signatures. Cretaceous–Paleocene sedimentary rocks, dominated by Variscan DZ U-Pb age components with Permian–Triassic (200–300 Ma) ZHe cooling ages, were sourced from the Ebro Massif south of the Ager Basin. A provenance shift occurred at the base of the Early Eocene Baronia Formation (ca. 53 Ma) to an eastern Pyrenean source (north-east of the Ager Basin) as evidenced by an abrupt change in paleocurrents, a change in DZ U-Pb signatures to age distributions dominated by Cambro-Silurian (420–520 Ma), Cadomian (520–700 Ma), and Proterozoic–Archean (>700 Ma) age components, and the prominent emergence of Cretaceous–Paleogene (<90 Ma) ZHe cooling ages. The Eocene Corçà Formation (ca. 50 Ma), characterized by the arrival of fully reset ZHe ages with very short lag times, signals the accumulation of sediment derived from the rapidly exhuming Pyrenean thrust sheets. While ZHe ages from the Corçà Formation are fully reset, zircon fission track (ZFT) ages preserve older inherited cooling ages, bracketing the exhumation level within the thrust sheets to ca. 6–8 km in the Early Eocene. These DZ ZHe ages yield exhumation rate estimates of ca. 0.03 km/Myr during the Late Cretaceous–Paleocene for the Ebro Massif and ca. 0.2–0.4 km/Myr during the Eocene for the eastern Pyrenees.     

~(10)Be exposure ages of Quaternary Glaciers in Antarctica

In situ terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides(TCN) have been widely applied to date the ages of Quaternary glacial deposits in Antarctica and plays an important role in reconstructing the glacial evolution and climate change. It helps to understand the Antarctic ice sheet's evolution process in Quaternary and shed light on the application of Cosmogenic Nuclide exposure dating technique in glacial geomorphology. In this paper, we retrieved 49510 Be age samples in Antarctica from literature published between 2004 and 2020 and recalculated the TCN ages using version 3.0 online calculator of Cosmic-Ray Produced Nuclide Systematics on Earth(CRONUS-Earth). Several conclusions can be drawn from the results:(1) 75% of the exposure ages are younger than 400 ka, and 91% younger than 1, 100 ka. Northern Antarctic Peninsula exposure result is visibly younger than the main glaciers area in East Antarctica due to climate change and geological evaluation since the LGM(Last Glacial Maximum).(2) TCN ages are relevant to the samples' relative positions in the Antarctic continent, but a relationship between their ages and elevations is yet to be determined based on the collected data.     

南设得兰群岛利文斯顿岛鲍勒斯山组火山岩的~(40)Ar/~(39)Ar年龄及地质意义

采用４０Ａｒ／３９Ａｒ法和激光微区等时线方法，对南极南设得兰群岛利文斯顿岛东部产出的鲍勒斯山组火山岩重新进行了年龄测定。结果表明，４５Ｄ安山质熔岩和２６２玄武安山质熔岩的等时年龄分别为（１０５．６２±２．１１）Ｍａ和（１１１．４８±２．２３）Ｍａ，其４０Ａｒ／３９Ａｒ初始比与尼尔值相当，岩石中不含过剩氩，表明等时年龄代表岩石真正的形成年龄。脉状产出的Ａ９３５２细晶岩的４０Ａｒ／３９Ａｒ坪年龄为（９６．７±１．６）Ｍａ，计算得到等时年龄为９６．６Ｍａ，晚于熔岩喷发而形成。新的年龄数据证实了鲍勒斯山组火山岩形成于白垩纪。白垩纪火山活动曾影响了整个利文斯顿岛，在赫德半岛出露的鲍勒斯山组火山岩曾被较年轻火山岩所覆盖，构造抬升使其出露。     

Thermal history of the Cretaceous Sindong Group, Gyeongsang Basin, Korea based on fission track analysis

ABSTRACT Apatite and zircon fission track (FT) analyses were carried out to reconstruct the thermal history of the Lower Cretaceous Sindong Group, which is the lowermost stratal unit of the Gyeongsang Basin, Korea. Zircon FT central ages show a wide range from 83 ± 5 to 157 ± 18 Ma, and single-grain age spectra have multiple age populations, whereas all apatites have very consistent FT ages of c . 60 Ma, suggesting a totally reset cooling age. Co-existence of both older and younger ages compared with the depositional age and relatively short mean track length indicate that the Sindong zircons were partially annealed. The Sindong Group was heated into the zircon partial annealing zone (ZPAZ) around 80 Ma, and cooled below the apatite closure temperature at c . 60 Ma. Based on the zircon FT results combined with vitrinite reflectance data, the maximum palaeotemperature to which the Sindong Group had been subjected can be inferred to be about 260 °C. Zircon FT data from a granite body that is in contact with the Sindong Group and sandstones close to the granite body indicate that thermal influence caused by Upper Cretaceous intrusive rocks was limited in close vicinity of the intrusion and that the major heat source of the Sindong Group was burial. The thickness of uplifted and eroded section is estimated to be about 7 km.     

SCHMIDT‐HAMMER EXPOSURE AGES FROM PERIGLACIAL PATTERNED GROUND (SORTED CIRCLES) IN JOTUNHEIMEN,NORWAY, AND THEIR INTERPRETATIVE PROBLEMS

Periglacial patterned ground (sorted circles and polygons) along an altitudinal profile at Juvflya in central Jotunheimen, southern Norway, is investigated using Schmidt‐hammer exposure‐age dating (SHD). The patterned ground surfaces exhibit R‐value distributions with platycurtic modes, broad plateaus, narrow tails, and a negative skew. Sample sites located between 1500 and 1925 m a.s.l. indicate a distinct altitudinal gradient of increasing mean R‐values towards higher altitudes interpreted as a chronological function. An established regional SHD calibration curve for Jotunheimen yielded mean boulder exposure ages in the range 6910 ± 510 to 8240 ± 495 years ago. These SHD ages are indicative of the timing of patterned ground formation, representing minimum ages for active boulder upfreezing and maximum ages for the stabilization of boulders in the encircling gutters. Despite uncertainties associated with the calibration curve and the age distribution of the boulders, the early‐Holocene age of the patterned ground surfaces, the apparent cessation of major activity during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) and continuing lack of late‐Holocene activity clarify existing understanding of the process dynamics and palaeoclimatic significance of large‐scale sorted patterned ground as an indicator of a permafrost environment. The interpretation of SHD ages from patterned ground surfaces remains challenging, however, owing to their diachronous nature, the potential for a complex history of formation, and the influence of local, non‐climatic factors.     

南极陨石研究的启示Ⅹ:南极陨石的居地年龄

到目前为止 ,陨石学者已考察了约 2 5 0 0km2 的南极蓝色冰区 ,并在南极冰盖不同的地区回收到约 30 0 0 0个陨石样品。在过去 2 0年 ,主要根据36Cl或1 4 C的浓度测定了几百个南极陨石的居地年龄。每个搁浅区的陨石显示不同的居地年龄分布 ,并提供陨石局部堆积机制的信息 ,在蓝色冰表面南极陨石的密度取决于许多因素 ,如陨石的降落率、冰的消融率、雪的堆积率等。大多数南极陨石的居地年龄范围从小于 1 0ka到 1 0 0 0ka ,Yamato山地冰区陨石的居地年龄可高达 2 0 0ka,而LewisCliff及AllanHills陨石的居地年龄分别高达 5 0 0ka和 1 0 0 0ka,新近发现两个陨石的居地年龄分别为 2Ma及 2 .35Ma,表明它们深埋于靠近冰川底部 ,且冰流率比表面低得多 ,同时也表明陨石堆积进入目前的搁浅区至少始于 2Ma以前 ,这与东南极冰盖为稳定和持续性假设是一致的。陨石的居地年龄是确定陨石历史的一个重要参数 ,同时也可用以估计陨石的搬运时间及平均风化寿命。     

EVALUATION OF BOTANICAL METHODS OF DATING DEBRIS FLOWS AND DEBRIS-FLOW HAZARD IN THE CANADIAN ROCKY MOUNTAINS

The vegetation on debris flow deposits is examined at seven sites in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Plant cover, colonizing tree ages, species' presence and abundance, and new stem ages on buried willows are vegetation parameters evaluated for the purpose of dating debris flows. The results indicate that general trends of vegetation development on debris flow deposits can be used to date recent events, at least relatively. The use of several methods to corroborate estimations of deposit age is usually necessary. An optimal approach is to combine absolute and relative dating techniques in evaluating debris flow occurrence, extent, and potential hazard.