Tracking Ice Sheet Retreat Using Cosmogenic Nuclides

The Southern California Local Section of ACS presents a Virtual Seminar in Celebration of Earth Week (under an LSAC grant) - on the theme: Glaciers – Hot Topic Cool Chemistry by Professor Claire Todd, Chair, Department of Geological Sciences California State University, San Bernardinoon April 24, 2025 Time: 3:00 to 4:00 pm PST.

Ice sheet retreat reveals underlying bedrock and strands glacially transported rock, exposing these geologic materials to the cosmic ray flux. Geologists use the resulting cosmogenic nuclides in minerals to determine the timing and rate of ice sheet retreat. Studies across Antarctica reveal a range of ice sheet thinning rates over millennia and provide a valuable comparison to measurements of modern ice sheet change. This presentation will provide an overview of this geochronological technique, and share field experiences and results from surface exposure age studies in East and West Antarctica.

Speaker

• Prof. Claire Todd, Professor and Chair, Department of Geological Sciences California State University, San Bernardino, CA, Dr. Claire Todd is Professor and Chair of the Department of Geological Sciences at California State University San Bernardino where she works with students to study cryospheric change in Antarctica and the Pacific Northwest. She has completed six deep field seasons in Antarctica.