Cosmogenic Isotope Analysis and Geomorphology

Introduction

Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclides are revolutionising our understanding of geomorphic processes and climate histories. These versatile geochemical tools permit quantitative estimates of both surface exposure times and measurement of surface erosion rates. Facilities for cosmogenic nuclide research at Edinburgh Geography are among the best in the UK and Europe. They include new purpose-built laboratories for the preparation of cosmogenic samples for analysis by either accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) or noble gas mass spectrometry (NGMS). At present, the labs produce mineral separates for analysis of cosmogenic ³He by NGMS, and "targets" for analysis of cosmogenic ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al by AMS. Noble gas measurements are made at the Scottish University Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) at East Kilbride, or at a collaborating institution in the USA. All AMS is presently conducted at collaborating institutions in Switzerland, Australia, and the USA; however, a new AMS facility is slated to open at SUERC in 2002. The cosmogenic research group consists of two academic staff members based at Edinburgh, two research staff members based at the Scottish University Environmental Research Centre (SUERC) at East Kilbride near Glasgow, four postgraduate (Ph.D) students, and a full-time cosmogenic laboratory technician.