Spatial and temporal variations in denudation rates derived from cosmogenic nuclides in four European fluvial terrace sequences

Abstract

The denudation of landscapes is affected by temporal and spatial variations in tectonics, climate, and vegetation. However, deciphering the contributions of these different processes has proven challenging. In this study, cosmogenic nuclide-derived modern and paleo catchment-wide denudation rates in four European rivers are investigated. We present 12 new and 4 recalculated cosmogenic nuclide-derived denudation rates from modern river sediments and 14 paleo-denudation rates from terraces deposited over the last 2 Ma. The catchments studied are located in regions with minimal Quaternary tectonic activity and span different climates over 12o latitude. Results indicate that modern denudation rates range between 16 ±11 and 51 ±7 mm/ka with no clear latitudinal variation. Modern denudation rates are compared with catchment geomorphic indices including slope, fluvial steepness index, and relief. The denudation rates correlate better to catchment topographic indices (R2 ≈ 0.4) rather than climate. Paleo-denudation rates range from 8 ±7 to 56 ±7 mm/ka and are associated with a possible increase in the average paleo-denudation rates over the past 2 Ma. Taken together, the results indicate that quantification of catchment-wide denudation rates over long (Quaternary) time scales because of climate change is difficult. Future work to study climate influence on denudation rates should focus on the successes of previous work that document transient denudation rates over shorter and more recent time scales, i.e., from the Last Glacial Maximum to present.