10Be chronology of the last deglaciation of County Donegal, northwestern Ireland

A well-preserved moraine on the northern coast of County Donegal, Ireland, has played a critical role in our understanding of the glacial history of this sector of the Irish Ice Sheet (IIS). Because of a lack of numerical dating of the moraine, however, previous interpretations of its age and significance to the glacial history of this region have varied widely. Here we report eight in situ cosmogenic ¹⁰Be ages on boulders sampled from the moraine. Two of these ages are outliers, with the remaining six ranging from 18.8±1.0 ¹⁰Be kyr to 20.9±1.3 ¹⁰Be kyr, with an uncertainty-weighted mean age of 19.4±0.3 ¹⁰Be kyr (19.4±1.2 kyr accounting for production rate uncertainty). Our results confirm one previous ¹⁰Be age obtained from the moraine, with the combined data ( n =7) constraining the age of initial deglaciation of the IIS from its LGM position on the continental shelf to be 19.3±0.3 ¹⁰Be kyr (19.3±1.2 kyr accounting for production rate uncertainty). These ages are in excellent agreement with calibrated ¹⁴C ages that constrain retreat of the IIS margin from the continental shelf elsewhere in northwestern and western Ireland and the Irish Sea Basin associated with the start of the Cooley Point Interstadial (≥20–≤18.2 cal. kyr BP), suggesting widespread deglaciation of the IIS ∼19.5–20 kyr ago.     

Timing of the last deglaciation in Lithuania

Boulders from the Grūda Moraine, which is associated with the maximum extent of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) during the last glaciation, and the Baltija (also referred to as the South Lithuanian), the Middle and North Lithuanian moraines, which are associated with recessional stages of the SIS, were sampled for surface exposure dating using ¹⁰Be. By combining these data with existing radiocarbon ages, we developed a chronology for the retreat of the SIS margin in Lithuania. Our new ¹⁰Be ages suggest that the SIS margin began to retreat from its maximum extent at 18.3 ± 0.8 ¹⁰Be kyr. Based on a probable correlation of the Baltija Moraine with the Pomeranian Moraine in Poland, we infer that the Baltija Moraine was formed following a re-advance of the SIS margin. The ice margin retreated from the Baltija position at 14.0 ± 0.4 ¹⁰Be kyr. The SIS-margin retreat paused at least two more times to form the Middle Lithuanian Moraine at 13.5 ± 0.6 ¹⁰Be kyr and the North Lithuanian Moraine (tentatively correlated to the Pajūris Moraine) at 13.3 ± 0.7 ¹⁰Be kyr. Subsequent ice-margin retreat from the North Lithuanian Moraine represented the final deglaciation of Lithuania. Direct dating of these moraines better constrains the relation of ice-margin positions in Lithuania to those in adjacent countries as well as the SIS response to climate change.     

Late Pleistocene glacial history of Jameson Land, central East Greenland, derived from cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al exposure dating

Previous work has presented contrasting views of the last glaciation on Jameson Land, central East Greenland, and still there is debate about whether the area was: (i) ice-free, (ii) covered with a local non-erosive ice cap(s), or (iii) overridden by the Greenland Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Here, we use cosmogenic exposure ages from erratics to reconcile these contrasting views. A total of 43 erratics resting on weathered sandstone and on sediment-covered surfaces were sampled from four areas on interior Jameson Land; they give ¹⁰Be ages between 10.9 and 269.1 kyr. Eight erratics on weathered sandstone and till-covered surfaces cluster around ∼70 kyr, whereas ¹⁰Be ages from erratics on glaciofluvial landforms are substantially younger and range between 10.9 and 47.2 kyr. Deflation is thought to be an important process on the sediment-covered surfaces and the youngest exposure ages are suggested to result from exhumation. The older (>70 kyr) samples have discordant ²⁶Al and ¹⁰Be data and are interpreted to have been deposited by the Greenland Ice Sheet several glacial cycles ago. The younger exposure ages (≤70 kyr) are interpreted to represent deposition by the ice sheet during the Late Saalian and by an advance from the local Liverpool Land ice cap in the Early Weichselian. The exposure ages younger than Saalian are explained by periods of shielding by non-erosive ice during the Weichselian glaciation. Our work supports previous studies in that the Saalian Ice Sheet advance was the last to deposit thick sediment sequences and western erratics on interior Jameson Land. However, instead of Jameson Land being ice-free throughout the Weichselian, we document that local ice with limited erosion potential covered and shielded large areas for substantial periods of the last glacial cycle.     

Cosmogenic 10 Be ages on the Pomeranian Moraine, Poland

Rinterknecht, V. R., Marks, L., Piotrowski, J. A., Raisbeck, G. M., Yiou, F., Brook, E. J. & Clark, P. U. 2005 (May): Cosmogenic ¹⁰Be ages on the Pomeranian Moraine, Poland. Boreas , Vol. 34, pp. 186–191. Oslo. ISSN 0300–9483.
We measured the ¹⁰Be concentrations in boulders collected from the Pomeranian Moraine in Poland, providing the first direct dating of the southern margin of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS) in the Polish Lowland. The mean age of 8 ¹⁰Be ages of the Pomeranian Moraine in northwestern Poland is 14.30.8 ¹⁰Be ka, while in northeastern Poland the mean age of 19 ¹⁰Be ages of the moraine is 15.00.5 ¹⁰Be ka. Given the excellent agreement between the two age groups, we calculate a mean age of 14.80.4 ¹⁰Be ka for final deposition of the Pomeranian Moraine of northern Poland. The age of the Pomeranian Moraine suggests that the southern margin of the SIS was near its maximum extent in Poland at a younger time than previously inferred, and that retreat from the moraine at 14.80.4 ¹⁰Be ka probably occurred in response to the onset of the Bølling interstade.     

Chronology of deglaciation based on 10Be dates of glacial erosional features in the Grimsel Pass region, central Swiss Alps

Surface exposure dating, using in situ produced cosmogenic ¹⁰Be, is applied to determine the time since deglaciation of bedrock surfaces in the Grimsel Pass region. Nine ¹⁰Be dates from bedrock surfaces corrected for cover by snow are minimum ages for deglaciation of the pass. Four ¹⁰Be dates from surfaces below 2500 meters above sea level (m a.s.l.) on Nägelisgrätli, east of Grimsel Pass, yield ages that range from about 14 000 to 11 300 years. Three ¹⁰Be dates from locations above 2600 m a.s.l. on Nägelisgrätli are between about 11 700 and 10 400 years. Two ¹⁰Be dates from locations at 2560 m a.s.l. below Juchlistock are about 12 100 and 11 000 years. The geographical distribution of ¹⁰Be dates on Nägelisgrätli either may show the timing of progressive deglaciation of Grimsel Pass or may reflect differences in subglacial erosion of bedrock in the pass region. All dates are discussed in the context of deglaciation of the late Würmian Alpine ice cap and deglaciation from Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) ice extents in other regions.     

Dating bedrock gorge incision in the French Western Alps (Ecrins-Pelvoux massif) using cosmogenic 10Be

We report in-situ produced ¹⁰Be data from the Gorge du Diable (French Western Alps) to date and quantify bedrock gorge incision into a glacial hanging valley. We sampled gorge sidewalls and the active channel bed to derive both long-term and present-day incision rates. ¹⁰Be ages of sidewall profiles reveal rapid incision through the late Holocene (ca 5 ka) at rates ranging from 6.5 to 13 mm yr⁻¹. Present-day incision rates are significantly lower and vary from 0.5 to 3 mm yr⁻¹ within the gorge. Our data imply either delayed initiation of gorge incision after final ice retreat from internal Alpine valleys at ca 12 ka, or post-glacial surface reburial of the gorge. Our results suggest that fluvial incision rates >1 cm yr⁻¹ into crystalline bedrock may be encountered in transient landscape features induced by glacial-interglacial transitions.     

Exposure age dating and Equilibrium Line Altitude reconstruction of an Egesen moraine in the Maritime Alps, Italy

Four boulder samples from the Piano del Praiet frontal moraine in the Gesso della Barra Valley (Maritime Alps) have been ¹⁰Be dated. The results give a weighted mean age of 11 340±370 (870) yr, constraining the frontal moraine to the Egesen glacial stadial, during the Younger Dryas cold phase. By applying the same ¹⁰Be production rate to other Egesen moraines previously dated in the Alps, we obtain similar ages for all of them. This suggests a synchroneity of the Egesen deglaciation in the European Alps at the end of the Younger Dryas. From the palaeoshape of the Egesen glacier, reconstructed by means of geomorphological mapping, an Equilibrium Line Altitude depression (δELA) of −520 to −530 m, with respect to the present-day ELA, and of −260 to −320 m, with respect to the Little Ice Age ELA, has been calculated. Comparison with other Alpine sector δELAs indicates that the Maritime Alps experienced humid climatic conditions during the Younger Dryas.     

Chronology and organic chemistry of the Black Creek Swamp Megafauna site (Late Pleistocene), Kangaroo Island, Australia

The timing of the extinction of the Australian Megafauna and whether it was simultaneous and widespread has been a much researched topic in Quaternary geoscience. The Black Creek Swamp Megafauna site on Kangaroo Island was thought to be a refugium for Megafauna; however, recent and multidiscipline age determinations have established that the fossils are considerably older than the well-quoted extinction age of 45 kyr. Further radiocarbon age determinations, δ¹³C isotope analysis and ¹³C-NMR spectroscopy of the fossil containing organic matter demonstrates that it is highly soluble and accumulated as recently as 31–18 cal. kyr BP. These radiocarbon ages are much younger than the 100–50 kyr age bracket ascertained for the fossil material itself, implying separate episodes of death, deposition and burial. The soluble nature of the organic matter and increasing radiocarbon ages with depth suggests lateral accumulation, probably transported by subsurface waters from elevated areas proximal to the low-lying swamp. Such depositional conditions and ¹⁴C age range implies that the site may have experienced an unusually wet Last Glacial Maximum, due maybe to its proximity to the continental shelf and thus to maritime conditions. C3 vegetation dominates the Black Creek Swamp and its organic matter (δ¹³C; −30‰ and −23‰); however, variations in δ¹³C may indicate climatic shifts. ¹³C-enrichment and an abundance of salt-tolerant gastropods within the site's final phase of sediment accumulation (<6 cal. kyr BP) suggest that conditions during this most recent period were not as wet as those of the Last Glacial Maximum.     

Cosmogenic 10Be exposure age dating across Early to Late Weichselian ice-marginal zones in northwestern Russia

Rock samples from the Kanin Peninsula and the Timan Ridge were analysed for in situ cosmogenic ¹⁰Be for exposure age dating purposes. Crystalline rocks were sampled at four sites on the Kanin Peninsula, either from bedrock outcrops or from glacial erratics, giving overall similar ¹⁰Be ages. Outcropping sandstone and crystalline erratics were available from three sites at the Timan Ridge. The highly weathered sandstone gives substantially younger ¹⁰Be ages than the adjacent erratics. The exposure ages from the Kanin Peninsula suggest that the last deglaciation of this area took place between 55 and 37 ¹⁰Be kyr ago, in agreement with a preceding Kara Sea glaciation (55-45 kyr BP). The northwest coast of the peninsula was probably just outside the maximum limit of the last Scandinavian glaciation (20-17 kyr BP). Glacial erratic exposure ages from the Timan Ridge suggest that the 55-45 kyr BP Kara Sea glaciation reached the northern part of the ridge. The exposure dates do not show conclusive evidence regarding the existence of a Timan Ridge ice cap.     

New stratigraphic markers in the late Pleistocene Palouse loess: novel fossil gastropods, absolute age constraints and non-aeolian facies

Four stratigraphic sections in the southern part of the Columbia Basin preserve a sequence of aeolian and non-aeolian sediments ranging in age from 9·43 to >47·0 ¹⁴C ka based on accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of fossil molluscs, geochemistry of Cascade Mountain-sourced tephra and association with formally recognized pedostratigraphic units (the Washtucna and Old Maid Coulee soils). Study sections are interpreted as representing concurrent deposition of loess and distal Missoula Flood rhythmites in valleys tributary to main drainages backflooded during the Missoula Floods, and formation of carbonate and iron-rich soils. Sediments belong to the formally recognized L-1 and L-2 loess units established for the Palouse loess, which were deposited in the Columbia Basin subsequent to events of glacial outburst flooding. Sediments associated with the Mount Saint Helens set S and set C tephras in the study sections preserve a fauna of five species of gastropod mollusc which have not been reported previously from sediments of late Pleistocene age in the Palouse region. The fossils comprise two distinct faunules stratigraphically separated by the Mount Saint Helens So tephra. Accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon dating of the fossils collected above the tephra in two of the sections yielded ages of 12·48 ± 0·06 and 9·43 ± 0·05 ¹⁴C kyr. These ages suggest that independent determinations of the 13·35 ¹⁴C kyr age of the So tephra in other areas where Missoula Flood sediments are preserved are probably accurate, and help to refine the age of the latest events in the most recent sequence of catastrophic glacial outburst flooding.     

Rate of late Quaternary ice-cap thinning on King George Island, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica defined by cosmogenic 36Cl surface exposure dating

Glacial landforms on the Barton and Weaver peninsulas of King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica were mapped and dated using terrestrial cosmogenic ³⁶Cl methods to provide the first quantitative terrestrial record for late Quaternary deglaciation in the South Shetland Islands. ³⁶Cl ages on glacially eroded and striated bedrock surfaces range from 15.5±2.5 kyr to 1.0±0.7 kyr. The ³⁶Cl ages are younger with decreasing altitude, indicating progressive downwasting of the southwestern part of the Collins Ice Cap at a rate of ∼12 mm yr⁻¹ since 15.5±2.5 kyr ago, supporting the previously published marine records for the timing and estimate of the rate of deglaciation in this region.     

Timing of the last deglaciation in Belarus

We measured ¹⁰Be concentrations in boulders collected from the Orsha and Braslav moraines, associated with the Last Glacial Maximum extent and a recessional stage of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet (SIS), respectively, providing a direct dating of the southeastern sector of the ice-sheet margin in Belarus. By combining these data with selected existing radiocarbon ages, we developed a chronology for the last deglaciation of Belarus. The northeastern part of the country remained ice free until at least 19.2±0.2 cal. kyr BP, whereas the northwestern part of the country was ice free until 22.3±1.5 cal. kyr BP. A lobate ice margin subsequently advanced to its maximum extent and deposited the Orsha Moraine. The ice margin retreated from this moraine at 17.7±2.0 ¹⁰Be kyr to a position in the northern part of the country, where it deposited the Braslav Moraine. Subsequent ice-margin retreat from that moraine at 13.1±0.5 ¹⁰Be kyr represented the final deglaciation of Belarus. Direct dating of these moraines better constrains the relation of ice-margin positions in Belarus to those in adjacent countries as well as the SIS response to climate change.     

Climate variability in the SE Alps of Italy over the past 17 000 years reconstructed from a stalagmite record

Stalagmite SV1 from Grotta Savi, located at the SE margin of the European Alps (Italy), is the first Alpine speleothem that continuously spans the past c . 17kyr. Extension rate and δ¹⁸O_c record for the Lateglacial probably reflect a combination of temperature and rainfall, with rainfall exerting the dominant effect. Low speleothem calcite δ¹⁸ O_c values were recorded from c . 14.5 and 12.35 kyr, during GI-1 (Bølling— Allerød) interstadial, which in our interpretation, was warm and wet. The GS-1 (Younger Dryas) was characterized by a shift to heavier δ¹⁸ O_c, coinciding with δ¹³C_c enrichment and extremely low extension rate (<8 μm/year). These characteristics indicate that GS-1 climate was cool and dry in the SE Alps. Calibration using historical data revealed that there is a positive δ¹⁸O_c/dT relationship. A 1°C rise in mean annual temperature should correspond to c . 2.85% increase of SV-1 δc¹⁸O_c. We reconstructed a slow and steady temperature rise of c . 0.5°C since 10 kyr BP, in broad agreement with reconstructions from pollen data for SE Europe. Stalagmite SV1 indicates that climate variability in the SE Alps has been influenced by the Mediterranean Sea for the past c . 17 kyr.     

Beryllium geochemistry in soils: evaluation of Be/Be ratios in authigenic minerals as a basis for age models

Soils contain a diverse and complex set of chemicals and minerals. Being an ‘open system’, both in the chemical and nuclear sense, soils have defied quantitative nuclear dating. However, based on the published studies of the cosmogenic atmospheric ¹⁰Be in soils, its relatively long half-life (1.5 Ma), and the fact that ¹⁰Be gets quickly incorporated in most soil minerals, this radionuclide appears to be potentially the most useful for soil dating. We therefore studied the natural variations in the specific activities of ¹⁰Be with respect to the isotope ⁹Be in mineral phases in eight profiles of diverse soils from temperate to tropical climatic regimes and evaluated the implications of the data for determining the time of formation of soil minerals, following an earlier suggestion [Lal et al., 1991. Development of cosmogenic nuclear methods for the study of soil erosion and formation rates. Current Sci. 61, 636–639.]. We find that the ¹⁰Be/⁹Be ratios in both bulk soils and in the authigenic mineral phases are confined within a narrower range than in ¹⁰Be concentrations. Also, the highest ¹⁰Be/⁹Be ratios in authigenic minerals are observed at the soil-rock interface as predicted by the model. We present model ¹⁰Be/⁹Be ages of the B-horizon and the corresponding soil formation rates for several soil profiles. The present study demonstrates that the ¹⁰Be/⁹Be ratios in the authigenic phases, e.g. clay and Fe-hydroxides, can indeed be used for obtaining useful model ages for soils younger than 10–15 Ma. However, the present work has to be pushed considerably further, to take into account more realistic age models in which, for instance, downward transport ¹⁰Be and clays, and in-situ dissolution of clay minerals at depths, altering the ¹⁰Be/⁹Be ratios of the acidic solutions, are included. We show that in the case of younger soils (< 1 Ma) studied here, their ¹⁰Be inventories and ¹⁰Be/⁹Be ratios have been significantly disturbed possibly by mixing with transported soils.     

40Ar/39 mineral ages from the Scituate Granite, Rhode Island: implications for Late Palaeozoic tectonothermal activity in New England

The alkalic Scituate Granite was emplaced into crystalline sequences within the New England Esmond–Dedham terrane in the Late Devonian ( c. 370 Ma). Variably recrystallized amphibole (iron-rich, hastingsite–hastingsitic hornblende) from four variably deformed samples of the pluton record south-westerly younging ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages ranging between 276 and 263 Ma. These are interpreted to date diachronous cooling through temperatures appropriate for intracrystalline retention of argon following late Palaeozoic orogenic activity. Iron-rich biotite concentrates from the samples record only slightly younger ages, and therefore suggest relatively rapid post-metamorphic cooling. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages indicate that the late Palaeozoic tectonothermal overprint was much more regionally pervasive than was previously considered. The apparent timing of this activity is similar to previous estimates for the chronology of high-grade metamorphism throughout the adjacent Hope Valley terrane and for phases of ductile movement on the intervening Lake Char–Honey Hill fault system.     

Mesozoic tectonothermal development of the Sambagawa, Mikabu and Chichibu belts, south-west Japan: evidence from 40Ar/39Ar whole-rock phyllite ages

Abstract Five whole-rock ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages from low-grade sectors of the Sambagawa belt (Besshi nappe complex) range between 87 and 97 Ma. Two whole-rock phyllite samples from the Mikabu greenstone belt record well-defined ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of 96 and 98 Ma. Together these ages suggest that a high-pressure metamorphism occurred in both the Sambagawa and Mikabu belts at c. 90–100 Ma. The northern Chichibu sub-belt may consist of several distinct geochronological units because metamorphic ages increase systematically from north ( c. 110 Ma) to south ( c. 215 Ma). The northern Chichibu sub-belt is correlated with the Kuma nappe complex (Sambagawa belt). Two whole-rock phyllite samples from the Kurosegawa terrane display markedly older metamorphic ages than either the Sambagawa or the Chichibu belts.
Accretion of Sambagawa-Chichibu protoliths began prior to the middle Jurrasic. Depositional ages decrease from middle Jurassic (Kuma-Chichibu nappe complex) to c. 100 Ma (Oboke nappe complex) toward lower tectonostratigraphic units. The ages of metamorphic culmination also decrease from upper to lower tectonostratigraphic units. The Kurosegawa belt and the geological units to the south belong to distinctly different terrances than the Sambagawa-Chichibu belts. These have been juxtaposed as a result of transcurrent faulting during the Cretaceous.     

Climate change: possible influence of ocean upwelling and nutrient concentration

The relaxation time of the ocean phosphate system is close to 10⁵ Yr. The behaviour of this system is here explored using a simple box model. This approach illustrates that changes in upwelling in low- to mid- latitudes might exert a significant influence on the atmospheric pCO2, and that the long-term relaxation behaviour of the ocean phosphate system would rend to enhance the importance of the 100 kyr frequency component in the climatic record.     

Late Quaternary Slip Rate of the Xiugou Segment,Eastern Kunlun Fault Zone

The Eastern Kunlun fault zone (EKLF) is a large left-lateral strike-slip fault, whose slip rate is meaningful to seismic hazard assessment and geodynamics of the Tibetan Plateau. Previous studies suggested that the late Quaternary average slip rate was stable and uniform (10~13 mm/a) in the central and western segment of the EKLF. But there were a few researches of accurate slip rate in the central segment on the EKLF. Therefore, we focused on an offset and well preserved alluvial fan from Xiugou basin, located in the east of Xidatan-Dongdatan, to make it clear. Moreover, we used high-resolution satellite images and digital elevation model extracted from SPOT7 stereo image pairs to restore the offset alluvial fan, and combined terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides method, including 13 quartz-rich samples from this fan surface, 1 quartz-rich sample from the main active channel bed and 1 ¹⁰Be depth profile from this fan edge to eliminate the ¹⁰Be concentration of inheritance accurately, with 1 optically stimulated luminescence sample to obtain the reliable age of this alluvial fan together. Referring to field observations, this alluvial fan was offset left-laterally by (1 862±103) m, and its age is (76.55±3.20)~(106.37±3.38) ka which can be determined through the actual geologic setting and improving chi-square test. Thus, we used the Monte Carlo method to obtain a left-lateral slip rate of (20.3+3.5/-2.3) mm/a with 68% confidence envelopes since the late Pleistocene in the Xiugou basin. As a result, combining with the results of previous studies, the left-lateral slip rate indicated that the obviously decreasing activity transferred from late Pleistocene to Holocene on the central segment of the EKLF.     

40Ar/ 39Ar dating of Penninic Front tectonic displacement (W Alps) during the Lower Oligocene (31–34 Ma)

Direct absolute dating of the Penninic Frontal Thrust tectonic motion is achieved using the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar technique in the Pelvoux Crystalline Massif (Western Alps). The dated phengites were formed syn-kinematically in shear zones. They underline the brittle-ductile stretching lineation, pressure-shadow fibres and slickensides consistent with underthrusting of the European continental slab below the propagating Penninic Thrust. Chlorite–phengite thermobarometry yields 10–15 km and T ∼280 °C, while ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar phengite ages mainly range between 34 and 30 Ma, with one younger age at 27 Ma. This Early Oligocene age range matches a major tectonic rearrangement of the Alpine chain. Preservation of prograde ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages is ascribed to passive exhumation of the Pelvoux shear zone network, sandwiched between more external thrusts and the Penninic Front reactivated as an E-dipping detachment fault. Partial resetting in the Low Temperature part of argon spectra below 24 Ma is ascribed to brittle deformation and alteration of phengites.     

First Nordic colloquium on accelerators and dating, March llth-12th, 1983

A Nordic colloquium on accelerators and dating was held in Uppsala on March 11th to 12th, 1983, and arranged by the Tandem Accelerator Laboratory and the Institute of Physics. Its aims were: to report on the accelerator technique using ion counting instead of decay counting, to discuss the advantages and possible disadvantages of the new technique, to discuss the dating possibilities using ¹⁰Be, ²⁶A1, ³⁶CI etc. besides ¹⁴C, and to organize a Nordic committee to establish cooperation. About 80 participants representing the five Nordic countries attended the meeting. Survey lectures were given by Jürg Beer, Berne and Robert Hedges, Oxford.