SURFACE EXPOSURE DATING: REVIEW AND CRITICAL EVALUATION

The past decade has seen the development and application of over a dozen new methods for quantitative age-determinations of geomorphic surfaces. Some surface exposure dating methods are numerical, including the accumulation of cosmogenic radionuclides ¹⁰Be, ¹⁴C, ²⁶Al, ³⁶Cl, and ⁴¹Ca, accumulation of cosmogenic stable nuclides ³He and ²¹Ne, ¹⁴C dating of organic matter encapsulated in rock coatings, and dendrogeomorphology. Calendar ages are obtained by dendrogeomorphological analysis. Calibrated ages can be obtained by analysis of rock-varnish chemistry, lichenometry, weathering, and soils. Various methods can be used in combination to overcome individual limitations. Whereas conventional methods provide age control on stratigraphic profiles, surface-exposure dating methods are especially suitable for geographic problems, such as analyzing not only temporal, but also spatial variations in the rates of geomorphic processes. Key words: geomorphology, process, geochronology, cosmogenic nuclides, Quaternary, surface exposure dating, rock varnish, weathering, soils.]