On Cosmic-Ray Exposure Ages of Terrestrial Rocks: A Suggestion

Abstract

An important recent development in the field of geomorphology has been the application of in-situ cosmic-ray-produced nuclides to obtain model erosion rates and surface exposure ages. These concepts emerged some four decades ago in studies of cosmogenic nuclides in meteorites, but cannot generally be used analogously for terrestrial rocks. The differences in the two cases are outlined. For the case of steady-state erosional histories, the terrestrial surface exposure ages depend on the half-life of the radionuclide studied. A suggestion is made for presenting the surface exposure ages, which allows a clear definition of the meaning of the estimated exposure ages. In the case of a discrete exposure history, the meaning of “exposure age”—which should more appropriately be called “event age”—is however quite unambiguous.