Reconstructing Spatial Patterns of Glacial Erosion: A New Approach Using Cosmogenic Nuclides

这项研究将使用宇宙核素技术来解决山脉地理学中的一个经典问题--山谷规模冰川侵蚀的空间模式。围绕冰川地貌形成过程机制的争论尚未解决。一个制约因素是缺乏对前冰川形态的可靠了解。岩石中的宇宙成因放射性核素确实提供了过去岩石表面物质侵蚀的信息。这些信息，再加上根据侵蚀机制和控制来预测侵蚀空间格局的方法，可以提供对山谷规模侵蚀模式和过程的新理解。为了测试这种方法，宇宙源核素技术将被用来测量怀俄明州波波阿吉流域中部和加利福尼亚州南尤巴河峡谷研究地点的基岩损失。这项研究将展示如何使用宇宙成因核素方法来重建基岩侵蚀的大规模模式。研究结果将加深我们对山谷尺度地形的理解，并为景观开发在改变气候变化和冰川之间的关系中所起的作用提供新的信息。

Elmore, David Purdue U. This research will use cosmogenic nuclide techniques to address a classic issue in mountain geography-the spatial pattern of valley-scale glacial erosion. The debate which centers about the mechanics of process in the formation of glacial landforms is unresolved. A constraint has been the lack of reliable knowledge of the pre-glacial form. Cosmogenic radionuclides in rock do provide information about past erosion of material from the rock surfaces. This information coupled with approaches that predict the spatial pattern of erosion as a function of erosion mechanisms and controls can provide new understanding of valley-scale erosion patterns and processes. To test the approach, cosmogenic nuclide techniques will be used to measure bedrock loss at study sites in the Middle Popo Agie drainage basin, Wyoming and the South Yuba River Gorge, California. The research will demonstrate how cosmogenic nuclide approaches can be used to reconstruct large-scale patterns of bedrock erosion. The results will enhance our understanding of valley-scale topography and provide new information on the role of landscape development in altering the relationship between climate change and glaciation.