Deeper underground: Cosmogenic burial dating of cave-deposited alluvium to reconstruct long-term fluvial landscape evolution

Cosmogenic burial dating based on measurements of the 26Al/10Be ratio is a well-established geochronological method that contributed to significant progress in several scientific disciplines, including fluvial geomorphology, Quaternary geology or palaeo-anthropology. Although it was originally developed to date buried alluvium in multi-level cave systems 25 years ago, merely ∼30 research papers focusing on deep cave environments worldwide, including the world-famous Mammoth Cave, have been published since then. It is all the more surprising considering that buried alluvium in multi-level cave systems perhaps is the most advantageous material to apply the 26Al/10Be dating method. This review manuscript aims to foster this approach given its demonstrated usefulness in reconstructing Late Cenozoic incision rates and fluvial landscape evolution in a wide variety of settings.