The long-term denudation rate of granitic regolith in Qinhuangdao, North China determined from the in situ depth profile of the cosmogenic nuclides 26Al and 10Be

This study quantifies the surface denudation rate of granitic regolith via the application of the in situ cosmogenic Al-26 and Be-10 depth profile in China. The concentration ranges of Al-26 and Be-10 in the quartz along the similar to 3-m granitic regolith profile in Qinhuangdao are (4.9-23.1) x 10(5) and (2.3-36.6) x 10(4) atoms/g, respectively. With the exception of the surface sample, both Al-26 and Be-10 concentrations decrease exponentially with sample depth. The Chi-square best-fitting results revealed a total denudation rate of similar to 9 m/Ma averaged over a 10(3)-10(5) a timescale, which is lower than the values observed in global granitic outcrops. Compared with global datasets, the flat terrain due to the lack of tectonic activities is most likely the dominant factor that controls the local denudation process. The surface sample offsets from the theoretical cosmogenic nuclide distribution implies that the denudation rate from river basin sediment could be overestimated because of the bioturbation in the surficial soil layer.