Autogenic and allogenic denudation in carbonate karst by the multiple basin method: An example from Svartisen,North Norway

In carbonate karst basins, adequate denudation rates are difficult to estimate when there are allogenic inputs. It is shown that the common practice of correcting for allogenic input by Corbel's modified formula leads to erroneous results unless the karst ratio is very high. When choosing small basins that are subsets of each other, assumptions of hydrologic and lithologic uniformity may be satisfied. Then the autogenic and allogenic components of the denudation may be calculated by a linear model of uniform mixing. The model was tested in a subarctic stripe karst in North Norway, yielding an autogenic denudation rate of 32.5 ± 10.2 mm ka^?1. The mean annual runoff is 2600 mm. The result is supported by independent denudation rates from comparable areas, micro-erosion meter data as well as the total post-glacial corrosion deduced from pedestal and vein heights.