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Soil and sediment mixing and associated permafrost processes are not widely studied or understood in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica. In this study, we investigate the stability and depositional history of near-surface permafrost sediments to ∼ 3 m depth in the Pearse and lower Wright valleys using measured cosmogenic 10 Be and 26 Al depth profiles. In Pearse Valley, we estimate a minimum depositional age of ∼ 74 ka for the active layer and paleoactive-layer sediments (< 0.65 m). Combined depth profile modelling of 10 Be and 26 Al gives a depositional age for near-surface (< 1.65 m) permafrost in Pearse Valley of 180 +20/-40 ka, implying that the deposition of permafrost sediments predates MIS 5 advances of Taylor Glacier. Deeper permafrost sediments (> 2.09 m) in Pearse Valley are thus inferred to have a depositional age of > 180 ka. At a coastal, lower-elevation site in neighbouring lower Wright Valley, 10 Be and 26 Al depth profiles from a second permafrost core exhibit near-constant concentrations with depth and indicate the sediments are either vertically mixed after deposition or sufficiently young so that post-depositional nuclide production is negligible relative to inheritance. 26Al/10Be concentration ratios for both depth profiles range between 4.0 and 5.2 and are all lower than the nominal surface production rate ratio of 6.75, indicating that prior to deposition, these sediments experienced complex, yet similar, exposure–burial histories. Assuming a single-cycle exposure–burial scenario, the observed 26Al/10Be ratios are equivalent to a total minimum exposure–burial history of ∼ 1.2 Myr. In proximity to the depth profile core site, we measured cosmogenic 10 Be and 26 Al in three granite cobbles from thin, patchy drift (Taylor 2 Drift) in Pearse Valley to constrain the timing of retreat of Taylor Glacier. Assuming simple continuous exposure, our minimum, zero-erosion exposure ages suggest Taylor Glacier partially retreated from Pearse Valley no later than 65–74 ka. The timing of retreat after 65 ka and until the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) when Taylor Glacier was at a minimum position remains unresolved. The surface cobble ages and permafrost processes reveal Taylor Glacier advances during MIS 5 were non-erosive or mildly erosive, preserving the underlying permafrost sediments and peppering boulders and cobbles upon an older, relict surface. Our results are consistent with U/Th ages from central Taylor Valley and suggest changes in moisture delivery over Taylor Dome during MIS 5e, 5c, and 5a appear to be associated with the extent of the Ross Ice Shelf and sea ice in the Ross Sea. These data provide further evidence of antiphase behaviour through retreat of a peripheral lobe of Taylor Glacier in Pearse Valley, a region that was glaciated during MIS 5. We suggest a causal relationship of cold-based glacier advance and retreat that is controlled by an increase in moisture availability during retreat of sea ice and perhaps the Ross Ice Shelf, as well as, conversely, a decrease during times of sea ice and Ross Ice Shelf expansion in the Ross Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beryllium-10 (10Be) has been proposed as a potential proxy for investigating ice shelf presence and absence, or meltwater discharge in coastal polar environments. However, the sources and distribution of atmospherically produced meteoric-10Be in the Antarctic marine realm are yet to be fully characterized, making any inferences about its concentration in sediments challenging. We present a dataset of 9Be and 10Be concentrations, and 10Be/9Be ratios in seafloor surface sediments from the Antarctic continental shelf - including from sub ice shelf cores - to assess the sources and processes contributing Be-isotopes to ice-sheet proximal marine settings. We show that upwelling waters (e.g. Circumpolar Deep Water) are a significant source of 10Be to continental shelf sediments. This limits the use of 10Be/9Be as a proxy for ice shelf environment or meltwater discharge, but instead provides a potential proxy for reconstructing Circumpolar Deep Water incursions onto Antarctic continental shelves. • 10Be on the Antarctic continental shelf is primarily supplied by Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) upwelling. • High 10Be/9Be ratios in sediment may be used to map CDW upwelling pathways. • 10Be/9Be ratios sourced from the continent appear lower than that sourced from CDW, which challenges current understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accuracy and precision in the measurement of natural aluminium abundances in quartz can affect the reliability of 26 Al exposure dating and 26 Al/ 10 Be burial dating. At ANSTO, aliquots extracted from the HF solutions of dissolved quartz are treated in our laboratory, whereas ICP-OES analysis is performed at a commercial laboratory. The long-term inter-run reproducibility of our in-house standards show a limiting precision in Al measurements of 3–4% (1 σ ), which is lower than the claimed precision of Al analysis by ICP-OES. This indicates that unaccounted random errors are incorporated during our aliquot preparation. In this study, we performed several controlled tests to investigate effects of possible inconsistencies and variances during our aliquot preparation procedure. The results indicate that our procedure is robust against any subtle change in the preparation procedure, e.g., fuming temperatures, fuming reagents, and drying conditions. We found that the density of the solutions dispatched for ICP analysis is occasionally variable due to the presence of residual fuming reagents in the solution. A comparison of the results between the calibration curve and standard addition methods show that the former results are consistently lower than the latter by up to ∼14%. Similar offsets have been reported by previous studies. The reason for these discrepancies is mostly likely matrix effect, which is not accounted for by the calibration curve method. Further tests by varying matrix with impurities such as HF, HClO 4 , H 2 SO 4 and Si identified that Si could cause lower offset in Al measurements; however, our ICP solutions are confirmed to be free from Si and the cause of matrix effect remains to be investigated. Hence, care must be taken for the measurement of Al concentrations in quartz by ICP-OES, either by ensuring that matrix effect is fully accounted for or by routinely employing standard additions when required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Quartz extraction and purification is essential for the successful measurement of 10Be and 26Al by AMS for exposure dating. The common procedure involves repetitive etching by ultrasonic heating and agitation in a dilute aqueous HF solution (2%w/w), which has proven adequate for quartz rich rock (i.e., granite, quartzite). We have developed an alternative method using hot phosphoric acid (250°C), which preferentially dissolves silicates but not quartz. This method is particularly effective on samples with very low quartz abundance or with cryptocrystalline silica (i.e., greywacke, silcrete, chert) to enhance quartz recovery. We describe the method in detail and present data that compares the efficiency and the benefits of the two methods. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Development of continental aridity has been linked to late Cenozoic global cooling, but the evidence is indirect, based on terrestrial bess deposits and eolian silt in marine sediments, whereas direct dating of the inception of arid landforms has been frustrated by a lack of suitable methods. Here we report the first age determination of a major arid-zone dune field, based on cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al measurements of drill cores from dunes in the Simpson Desert, central Australia. Results show that the dune field began to form ca. 1 Ma, whereas dating using quartz optically stimulated luminescence indicates episodic dune building during late Quaternary ice ages. Less intense desertification began earlier; the previous cosmogenic exposure dating showed that neighboring stony deserts began to form at the onset of Quaternary ice ages 2-4 Ma. Aridity deepened and the dune field formed when ice age cycles increased their amplitude and switched their periods from 40 k.y. to 100 k.y. ca. 1 Ma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stony deserts are durable indicators of aridity but until now have not been directly dated. Using 21Ne and 10Be produced in surface rocks by cosmic rays, we show that Australian stony deserts formed 2-4 Ma, at the time when global cooling initiated the Quaternary ice ages and intensified aridity-induced major landscape changes in central Australia. This is the first direct determination of stony desert ages, using a new method for determining cosmogenic 21Ne in the presence of various neon components from other sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In accordance with our recent results obtained with cultured rat hepatocytes [Fujioka, T. & Ui, M. (2001) Eur. J. Biochem. 268, 25–34], epidermal growth factor (EGF) gave rise to transient tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrates (IRS-1 and IRS-2), thereby activating the bound phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells normally abundant in EGF receptors (EGFR) and Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with full-length EGFR. These actions of EGF, although much smaller in magnitude than those of insulin or IGF-I in the same cells, were accompanied by tyrosine phosphorylation of EGFR rather than insulin or IGF-I receptors, never observed in wild-type CHO cells expressing no EGFR, and totally inhibited by an inhibitor of EGFR kinase, AG1478, that was without effect on insulin or IGF-I actions. Recombinant IRS-1 was phosphorylated on tyrosines upon incubation with purified EGFR from A431 cells and 32P-labeled ATP. When CHO cells were transfected with C-terminal truncated EGFR lacking three NPXY motifs responsible for direct binding to phosphotyrosine-binding domains of IRSs, no effect of EGF could be observed. We suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 or IRS-2 could mediate EGFR-induced activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in mammalian cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the involvement of insulin receptor substrates in epidermal growth factor induced activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Development of tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate; Display of receptor desensitization; Mediation of the epidermal growth factor receptor.

Examines the decrease in cAMP phosphodiesterase activity in hepatocytes cultured with herbimycin A. Relation of polymerization to inhibition of tyrosine phosphorylation of α-tubulin; Incubation of rat hepatocyte with glucagon with herbimycin A; Effects of herbimycin.

Examines the effects of sphingosine 1-phosphate (S-1-P), in comparison with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), on glycogen metabolism and its signaling pathways in rat hepatocytes. Stimulation of glycogen phosphorylase in association with phospholipase C (PLC) activation and calcium mobilization; Effects of exogenous sphingosine and S-1-P on intracellular S-1-P.

We present 35 new burial ages (27 sites) based on 26 Al / 10 Be ratios of terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclides measured in clasts and sediments deep within 12 caves in the southern Massif Central, France. Our results, together with previously published burial ages, verify that cave morphogenesis has been continuously active in this region for at least the past ∼ 6 Myr. Combining sample burial ages with their associated cave elevation above the modern stream bed gives a mean regional incision rate of 88 ± 5 m Ma -1 for the Grands Causses area. South of the Cevennes Fault Zone bordering the Grands Causses, the incision rate is 43 ± 5 m Ma -1 , suggesting that this difference might be accommodated by the fault zone. Sediment burial ages from caves which are not located on river valley flanks or cliff walls are surprisingly too young compared to their expected ages when calculated using this regional average river incision rate. This suggests that the classical epigenic speleogenesis model that presumes a direct correlation between cave level development and regional base level lowering does not apply for the study area. Therefore, we propose that regional speleogenesis is mainly controlled by the removal of ghost rocks by headward erosion from river canyons to central parts of the plateaus, emptying incipient primokarst passages to create cave systems. Our results suggest a continuum process from hypogene primokarst composed of passages filled with ghost rock to one of epigene karst dynamics emptying these passages and creating cave networks. We propose that these processes are the major mechanism in the southern Massif Central that initiates speleogenesis and controls the geometry of the networks. In this region, tiered karst cannot be associated with the pace of incision of the major rivers but must be explained by former ghost rock (or hypogene) processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediment-routing systems continuously transfer information and mass from eroding source areas to depositional sinks. Understanding how these systems alter environmental signals is critical when it comes to inferring source-area properties from the sedimentary record. We measure cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al along three large sediment-routing systems (~100 000 km2) in central Australia with the aim of tracking downstream variations in 10Be-26Al inventories and identifying the factors responsible for these variations. By comparing 56 new cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al measurements in stream sediments with matching data (n D55) from source areas, we show that 10Be-26Al inventories in hillslope bedrock and soils set the benchmark for relative downstream modifications. Lithology is the primary determinant of erosion-rate variations in source areas and despite sediment mixing over hundreds of kilometres downstream, a distinct lithological signal is retained. Post-orogenic ranges yield catchment erosion rates of ~6-11 mMyr-1 and silcrete-dominant areas erode as slow as ~0.2 mMyr-1. 10Be-26Al inventories in stream sediments indicate that cumulative-burial terms increase downstream to mostly ~400-800 kyr and up to ~1.1 Myr. The magnitude of the burial signal correlates with increasing sediment cover downstream and reflects assimilation from storages with long exposure histories, such as alluvial fans, desert pavements, alluvial plains, and aeolian dunes. We propose that the tendency for large alluvial rivers to mask their 10Be-26Al source-area signal differs according to geomorphic setting. Signal preservation is favoured by (i) high sediment supply rates, (ii) high mean runoff, and (iii) a thick sedimentary basin pile. Conversely, signal masking prevails in landscapes of (i) low sediment supply and (ii) juxtaposition of sediment storages with notably different exposure histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pleistocene fluvial incision acceleration resulting in narrow and deeply entrenched valleys has been widely described and is generally attributed to uplift rate increase or greater climatic severity. In this paper, the long-term downcutting pattern of the Upper Ebro River and driving mechanisms are assessed, and we reconstruct the valley incision recorded by an outstanding sequence of 22 river terraces. Dating of 8 fluvial levels by means of the ESR, TCN, and OSL techniques, spanning the last 1.2 Ma, reveals a long-term incision deceleration pattern. The estimated age-incision model indicates a decrease in the incision rates, showing a long-term deceleration during the final Early Pleistocene (from 0.42 to 0.18 m/ka), and a tendency towards a steady state or base level stabilization from the Middle Pleistocene (0.15–0.03 m/ka) to the Late Pleistocene (0.03 m/ka). This incision pattern does not support climate change as a long-term incision-acceleration driver by itself, demonstrating the need for base level lowering effects to have operated. Upper Ebro deceleration incision is explained by the headward attenuation of the incision wave induced by the opening of the Ebro Cenozoic Basin in a geodynamic context characterized by an absence of significant uplift over the last million years. This trend could have changed the aggressor-victim roles of the rivers involved in fluvial captures at the drainage divide. The documented incision deceleration pattern differs from that reported for other valleys in the Iberian Peninsula, suggesting that the degree of maturity of the fluvial systems depends on their relative position with respect to the capture point, in addition to tectonic and lithostructural factors. In the Late Pleistocene-Holocene, a short-lived incision rate increase is recorded, corresponding to the last terrace dissection phase, during the transition from the last glacial MIS 2 to the interglacial MIS 1. • Incision acceleration is widely reported during Pleistocene valley entrenchment. • However, the Upper Ebro valley contains a complex sequence of fluvial terraces • which were dated within the last 1.2 Ma using ESR, TCN and OSL techniques • and indicate an incision deceleration pattern. • This suggests that the river incision is tending to a steady state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Be isotopes are a useful tracer of sediment source and transport pathways but have not been widely tested in glacio-marine environments. We measured Be isotopes in a range of depositional environments from open marine, sub-ice shelf and subglacial settings throughout Prydz Bay, one of Antarctica's largest ice drainage systems. We find that strong sub-ice shelf and bottom current circulations can advect 10Be-rich open marine sediments into an ice shelf cavity, and 10Be-poor terrestrial sediments onto the continental shelf at the ice shelf outflow, meaning that 10Be concentrations reflect sub-ice shelf circulation patterns rather than depositional environment. However, HCl-extractable 10Be/9Be ratios can provide a more robust discrimination of sediment deposited in open marine and sub-ice shelf settings. Thus, Be isotopes are a useful tracer of both environmental setting and sub-ice shelf circulation strength in both modern and paleo-ice sheet margins. Highlights • Be-10 is advected underneath ice shelves by sub-shelf currents. • Be-10/9 ratios may be a proxy for past ice shelf geometries in sediments. • Ice sheet extent may influence Be-isotope delivery ratios to the deep ocean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cataclysmic outburst floods transformed landscapes and caused abrupt climate change during the last deglaciation. Whether such events have also characterized previous deglaciations is not known. Arctic marine cores hint at megafloods prior to Oxygen Isotope Stage (OIS) 2, but the overprint of successive glaciations means that geomorphological traces of ancient floods remain scarce in Eurasia and North America. Here we present the first well-constrained terrestrial megaflood record to be linked with Arctic archives. Based on cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating and optically stimulated luminescence dating applied to glacial-lake sediments, a 300-m deep bedrock spillway, and giant eddy-bars > 200-m high, we reconstruct a history of cataclysmic outburst floods from glacial Lake Vitim, Siberia, to the Arctic Ocean over the past 60,000-years. Three megafloods have reflected the rhythm of Eurasian glaciations, leaving traces that stretch more than 3500 km to the Lena Delta. The first flood was coincident with deglaciation from OIS-4 and the largest meltwater spike in Arctic marine-cores within the past 100,000 years (isotope-event 3.31 at 55.5 ka). The second flood marked the lead up to the local Last Glacial Maximum, and the third flood occurred during the last deglaciation. This final 3000 km 3 megaflood stands as one of the largest freshwater floods ever documented, with peak discharge of 4.0–6.5 million m 3 s −1 , mean flow depths of 120–150 m, and average flow velocities up to 21 m s −1 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain glaciers at ∼26–19 ka, during the global Last Glacial Maximum near the end of the last 10 5 yr glacial cycle, are commonly considered on the basis of dating and field mapping in several well-studied areas to have been the largest of the late Quaternary and to have advanced synchronously from region to region. However, a numerical sensitivity model (Rupper and Roe, 2008) predicts that the fraction of ablation due to melting varies across Central Asia in proportion to the annual precipitation. The equilibrium-line altitude of glaciers across this region likely varies accordingly: in high altitude, cold and arid regions sublimation can ablate most of the ice, whereas glaciers fed by high precipitation cannot ablate completely due to sublimation alone, but extend downhill until higher temperatures there cause them to melt. We have conducted field studies and 10 Be dating at five glaciated sites along a precipitation gradient in Mongolia to test the Rupper/Roe model. The sites are located in nearby 1.875 × 1.875° cells of the Rupper/Roe model, each with a different melt fraction, in this little-studied region. The modern environment of the sites ranges from dry subhumid in the north (47.7° N) to arid in the south (45° N). Our findings show that the maximum local advances in the dry subhumid conditions predated the global Last Glacial Maximum and were likely from MIS 3. However, we also found that at ∼8–7 ka a cirque glacier in one mountain range of the arid Gobi desert grew to a magnitude comparable to that of the local maximum extent. This Holocene maximum occurred during a regional pluvial period thousands of years after the retreat of the Pleistocene glaciers globally. This asynchronous behavior is not predicted by the prevailing and generally correct presumption that glacier advances are dominantly driven by temperature, although precipitation also plays a role. Our findings are consistent with and support the Rupper/Roe model, which calls for glaciation in arid conditions only at high altitudes of sub-freezing temperatures, where the melt fraction in ablation is low. We expect a heterogeneous pattern of glacial responses to a changing modern climate in cold arid regions; an individual glacier advance should not be necessarily interpreted as evidence of cooling climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents data from 42 new samples yielding Late Pleistocene cosmogenic 10 Be and 36 Cl exposure ages of moraine boulders across a series of glaciated valleys in the Toubkal Massif (4167 m a.s.l.), High Atlas, Morocco. This represents the first comprehensive Pleistocene glacial chronology in North Africa and one of the largest datasets from the Mediterranean region. The timing of these glacier advances has major implications for understanding the influence of Atlantic depressions on moisture supply to North Africa and the Mediterranean basin during the Pleistocene. The oldest and lowest moraines which span elevations from ∼1900 to 2400 m a.s.l. indicate that the maximum glacier advance occurred from MIS 5 to 3 with a combined mean 10 Be and 36 Cl age of 50.2 ± 19.5 ka (1 SD; n = 12, 7 outliers). The next moraine units up-valley at higher elevations (∼2200–2600 m a.s.l.) yielded exposure ages close to the global Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) with a combined mean 10 Be and 36 Cl age of 22.0 ± 4.9 ka (1 SD; n = 9, 7 outliers). The youngest exposure ages are from moraines that were emplaced during the Younger Dryas with a combined mean 10 Be and 36 Cl age of 12.3 ± 0.9 ka (1 SD; n = 7, no outliers) and are found in cirques at the highest elevations ranging from ∼2900 to 3300 m a.s.l. From moraines predating the Younger Dryas, a large number of young outliers are spread evenly between 6 and 13 ka suggesting a continuing process of exhumation or repositioning of boulders during the early to mid-Holocene. This attests to active seismic processes and possibly intense erosion during this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geomorphology of the Denton Hills provides insight into the timing and magnitude of glacial retreats in a region of Antarctica isolated from the influence of the East Antarctic ice sheet. We present 26 Beryllium-10 surface exposure ages from a variety of glacial and lacustrine features in the Garwood and Miers valleys to document the glacial history of the area from 10 to 286 ka. Our data show that the cold-based Miers, Joyce and Garwood glaciers retreated little since their maximum positions at 37.2 ± 6.9 (1σ n = 4), 35.1 ± 1.5 (1σ, n = 3) and 35.6 ± 10.1 (1σ, n = 6) ka respectively. The similar timing of advance of all three glaciers and the lack of a significant glacial expansion during the global LGM suggests a local LGM for the Denton Hills between ca. 26 and 51 ka, with a mean age of 36.0 ± 7.5 (1σ, n = 13) ka. A second cohort of exposure ages provides constraints to the behaviour of Glacial Lake Trowbridge that formerly occupied Miers Valley in the late Pleistocene. These data show active modification of the landscape from ∼20 ka until the withdrawal of ice from the valley mouths, and deposition of Ross Sea Drift, at 10–14 ka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large earthquakes play a major role in the topographic evolution of active orogens. Earthquake induced landslides can alter the mass balance of mountain belts for decades to centuries depending on how landslide material is transported and stored. In this study, we analysed in-situ 10Be concentrations in fluvial sediments to capture a time series of post-earthquake denudation rates of the Tūtae Putaputa|Conway River catchment, which experienced ∼13 × 106 m3 of landsliding in the 2016 Kaikōura earthquake. 10Be concentrations were determined for detrital samples from the Conway River at the rangefront of the Seaward Kaikōura Mountains, South Island, New Zealand, and near the catchment outlet over three sampling intervals, including after significant precipitation events, 1-2 yr following the earthquake. Our results indicate somewhat higher apparent erosion rates at the rangefront (0.41-0.58 mm/yr) when compared to erosion rates incorporating lower-relief sub-catchments at the river outlet (∼0.28 mm/yr). No changes were found over the same time period in the Hurunui River, a neighbouring catchment that experienced negligible coseismic landsliding during the Kaikōura event. Apparent catchment-averaged erosion rates in the Conway River have remained similar to long-term exhumation rates from previously published thermochronology studies. To explain our results, we explore the observed controls on catchment-wide 10Be concentrations in our study area, such as the spatiotemporal variability in landslide connectivity to the channel and storage within the catchment. Our results highlight that using in-situ cosmogenic 10Be in fluvial deposits as a proxy for changes in sediment fluxes of earthquake-affected landscapes is complex and highly site-specific. • 10Be used to trace landslide sediment following 2016 M w 7.8 Kaikōura earthquake. • Nearly 13 M m3 of coseismic sediment released from hillslopes in the Conway River. • No detectable change in 10Be concentrations in quartz sands in the Conway River. • Erosion rates in the Conway River remain on pace with long term erosion rates. • Landslide properties influence 10Be concentrations in stream sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Here we report results from an investigation of noble gases in a specimen with layers of very fine-grained apatite and orthopyroxene from the Finero ultramafic complex, western Italian alps. We have also examined fresh olivine grains separated from phlogopite-harzburgites without an apatite layer. Fluid inclusions of these olivine separates appeared rich in radiogenic components such as 4He, 21Ne and 40Ar, suggesting the derivation of fluids from a crust-like reservoir. Such a crust-like component also appeared to be contained in the samples with the apatite-opx layer, however, an additional isotopically distinct component is necessary to explain progressive increases in 3He concentration and decreases in 40Ar/ 36Ar ratios observed approaching the apatite-rich layer. High 3He contents and low 40Ar/ 36Ar ratios are consistent with the signature expected for slab-derived metasomatic fluids. There is a clear mixing trend defined in a 3He/ 36Ar vs. 40Ar/ 36Ar diagram with crustal and slab-derived fluids as end-member compositions, suggesting that the complex was metasomatised by fluids derived from geochemically distinct regions and distinct geotectonic settings. The parent melt or fluids responsible for the formation of the apatite-rich layer should be derived from the slab-derived component, which is consistent with the notion that the Finero mantle was once in the mantle wedge. An in situ component produced in the previously metasomatised portion of lithospheric mantle, or fluid released from surrounding metamorphic rocks during exhumation are possible sources for the crust-like component. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Quantifying the contribution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) to sea-level rise during the last deglaciation is complicated by the limited opportunities to constrain ice-sheet models. The nunatak, Escalade Peak, provides a gauge for past ice surface elevation changes and behaviour throughout the last glacial cycle. Geomorphological mapping, geological evidence and 10Be cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating at Escalade Peak, provide new constraints on the ice surface history of the Skelton Névé since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). An elevation transect from the eastern margin of Escalade Peak indicates that the ice surface of the Skelton Névé was at least 50 m and perhaps >120 m higher than present during the LGM. In contrast, surface-exposure ages from a suite of inner moraines (blue-ice moraines) adjacent to Escalade Peak do not provide independent ice surface elevation constraints, but may provide an indirect constraint on the timing of thinning due to exhumation-ablation processes. Maximum simple exposure ages from the inner moraines suggest ice surface ablation was initiated by 19.2 ka, but the majority of ice surface lowering at Escalade Peak likely occurred after ∼15 ka and reached the present-day ice level at ∼6 ka. These findings suggest that slow flowing inland sites of EAIS outlet glaciers, such as southern Skelton Névé, experienced minimal ice surface elevation change since the LGM and record an EAIS outlet glacier and western Ross Sea retreat signature rather than widespread Ross Sea retreat. The ice surface lowering is likely to have been in response to retreat of the grounded ice in the western Ross Embayment causing a reduction in buttressing of the Skelton Glacier and draw down into the Ross Sea. • Ice was at least ∼50 m and perhaps >120 m higher than present during the LGM. • Inner moraines may provide an indirect constraint on the timing of thinning. • The majority of post-LGM ice surface lowering most likely occurred from ∼15 ka. • The retreat history suggests outlet glacier and western Ross Sea retreat signature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and precise chronologies are fundamental for successful Quaternary palaeo-climate/environment reconstruction and correlation with global climatic events. Aside from varved lake sequences, chronologies for sediment archives typically depend on age models developed from a limited number of dated horizons, often with large associated errors, age reversals, or minimum/maximum age constraints. Whilst the approach to generating chronologies for sediment cores has moved on from linear interpolation to considering age uncertainties and developing more nuanced accumulation models, these age models rarely reach the resolution and precision desired for millennial-scale palaeo-climatic correlations, particularly beyond the limits of the more precise radiocarbon method. Bayesian modelling offers the opportunity to optimise age models by combining all available information on the depositional history of the basin.Here we address this issue for the Orakei maar palaeolake sequence from Auckland, New Zealand. The Orakei maar sequence offers a high-resolution and continuous record of climatic variations spanning much of the last glacial cycle and is one of the few from the southern hemisphere mid-latitudes. The Orakei sequence spans ca. 120 to 10 ky; our chronology is derived from tephrochronology, radiocarbon dating, post-IR IRSL luminescence dating, relative palaeomagnetic intensity changes and meteoric Beryllium-10 flux. Prior to 40 ka, our age model relies on comparison with the global PISO-1500 palaeointensity stack and 10Be-flux. We generate our age model for the time interval ca. 50 to 10 ky using Bacon (rBacon in R), using non-normal error distribution of un-calibrated ages when necessary, facies-dependent variable mean accumulation rates and accounting for thick horizons of instantaneous deposition (i.e. tephra and mass movement deposits). This approach allows us to generate a high-resolution age model suitable for correlation of millennial-scale oscillations in our record, based on environmental magnetism and meteoric 10Be flux, with global records of past climate such as polar ice core, tropical lake and speleothem archives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]