Calibrating a long-term meteoric \u3csup\u3e10\u3c/sup\u3eBe accumulation rate in soil

Using 13 samples collected from a 4.1 meter profile in a well-dated and stable New Zealand fluvial terrace, we present the first long-term accumulation rate for meteoric 10Be in soil (1.68 to 1.72 × 106 at/(cm2yr)) integrated over the past ∼18 ka. Site-specific accumulation data, such as these, are prerequisite to the application of meteoric 10Be in surface process studies. Our data begin the process of calibrating long-term meteoric 10Be delivery rates across latitude and precipitation gradients. Our integrated rate is lower than contemporary meteoric 10Be fluxes measured in New Zealand rainfall, suggesting that long-term average precipitation, dust flux, or both, at this site were less than modern values. With accurately calibrated long-term delivery rates, such as this, meteoric 10Be will be a powerful tool for studying rates of landscape change in environments where other cosmogenic nuclides, such as in situ 10Be, cannot be used. Copyright 2010 by the American Geophysical Union