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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]

We use cosmogenic 10Be and 26Al in both bedrock and fluvial sediments to investigate controls on erosion rates and sediment supply to river basins at the regional scale in the Kimberley, NW Australia. The area is characterised by lithologically controlled morphologies such as cuestas, isolated mesas and extensive plateaus made of slightly dipping, extensively jointed sandstones. All sampled bedrock surfaces at plateau tops, ridgelines, and in the broader floodplain of major rivers over the region show similar slow lowering rates between 0.17 and 4.88 m.Myr‐1, with a mean value of 1.0 ± 0.6 m.Myr‐1 (n=15), whilst two bedrock samples collected directly within river‐beds record rates that are one to two orders of magnitude higher (14.4 ± 1.5 and 20.9 ± 2.5 m.Myr‐1, respectively). Bedrock 26Al/10Be ratios are all compatible with simple, continuous sub‐aerial exposure histories. Modern river sediment yield lower 10Be and 26Al concentrations, apparent 10Be basin‐wide denudation rates ranging between 1.8 and 7.7 m.Myr‐1, with a median value of 2.6 m.Myr‐1, more than double the magnitude of bedrock erosion rates. 26Al/10Be ratios of the sediment samples are lower than those obtained for bedrock samples. We propose that these depleted 26Al/10Be ratios can largely be explained by the supply of sediment to river basins from the slab fragmentation and chemical weathering of channel gorge walls and plateau escarpments that result in diluting the cosmogenic nuclide concentration in river sediments measured at the basin outlets. The results of a mass‐balance model suggest that ~60–90% of river sediment in the Kimberley results from the breakdown and chemical weathering of retreating vertical sandstone rock‐walls in contrast to sediment generated by bedrock weathering and erosion on the plateau tops. This study emphasises the value of analysing two or more isotopes in basin‐scale studies using cosmogenic nuclides, especially in slowly eroding post‐orogenic settings. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [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]

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]