Reconstructing uplift through denudation rates in carbonate systems: the Albanian orogen case study

Convergent plate boundaries are among the most dynamic regions on Earth. These active margins, shaped by the interplay of tectonics, erosion, and climate, are characterised by the highest topography and extensive sediment transport across vast distances. In such complex systems, lithology plays a crucial role, not only influencing rock resistance to deformation, erosion, and weathering, but also posing challenges to the application of dating and rate-determination techniques that rely on specific target minerals. Carbonate landscapes, in particular, present additional difficulties in quantifying denudation and exhumation rates due to their unique chemical and physical properties. Additionally, mountain ranges are shaped by processes acting at different timescales, where a combination of techniques with different integration times is needed to define the temporal evolution of the system.

The application of Beryllium (¹⁰Be) cosmogenic nuclides for quantifying denudation and uplift rates can help to overcome such limitations. Firstly, the employment of meteoric ¹⁰Be in combination with in situ ¹⁰Be overcomes limitations posed by lithology (i.e., the dependence of in situ ¹⁰Be on quartz and feldspar), as meteoric ¹⁰Be does not depend on specific target minerals. Secondly, the integration time of this technique bridges the temporal gap between long-term geological processes revealed by thermochronology (10⁶ yr) and modern geodetic measurements (10¹ yr).

We tested this approach in the Albanides orogenic system, integrating it with geomorphic, topographic, and fluvial analyses to reconstruct the recent uplift and erosional evolution of this region, characterised by numerous lithologies and a complex tectonic history. Basin-wide denudation rates derived using both in situ and meteoric ¹⁰Be are used as proxies of regional uplift rates across the belt, bypassing lithological constraints. The results of these complementary analyses revealed a high degree of consistency, reinforcing the reliability of the methodology. Rates ranging up to 1.61 mm/yr indicate rapid erosion of the orogen, while their spatial distribution highlights strong correlations with active tectonic structures and evidence of river network reorganisation. Despite covering different timescales, our findings align with data from thermochronology, incision rates, and geodesy, suggesting that past processes continue to echo in the present landscape dynamics.

This study highlights the value of integrating geomorphological and cosmogenic nuclide data, particularly through the complementary use of in situ and meteoric Beryllium, to untangle the complex interactions between tectonics and surface processes in active orogenic belts characterised by carbonate lithologies.