Use of in situ-produced 10Be in carbonate-rich environments: A first attempt

We have determined the production rate of in situ-produced 10Be in calcite through measurements of 10Be and 36Cl concentrations in the same calcite samples and of 10Be concentrations in depth profiles of flint from the same erosional surface. This yields a 10Be production rate in calcite of 37.9 ± 6.0 at/g/yr at sea level and high latitude, approximately sixfold higher than production in the coexisting flint. We propose that this higher rate of production may be due to high production cross sections for C spallation by cosmic rays with energies below 50 MeV. These results also open the possibility of dating burial events in carbonate-rich environments by differential radioactive decay of 10Be and 36Cl.