D.E. Granger, J.W. Kirchner, R.C. Finkel

Geology 25 (1997) 107-110

The concentrations of the cosmogenic radionuclides ²⁶Al and ¹⁰Be in quartz can be used to date sediment burial. Here we use ²⁶Al and ¹⁰Be in cave-deposited river sediment to infer the time of sediment emplacement. Sediment burial dates from a vertical sequence of caves along the New River constrain its Quaternary downcutting rate of 27.3 +- 4.5 m/m.y. and may provide evidence of regional tectonic tilt.