Main topics of cosmogenic nuclide studies
Paleoglaciology
Determining the timing of past glaciations and the rate of ice‑retreat in the mountain ranges
surrounding the Pannonian Basin (the Southern Carpathians and the Balkan Peninsula). This involves
reconstructing the surfaces of glacier tongues associated with individual glacial stages and, based on
glacioclimatological principles, gaining insight into past mass‑balance changes and climatic conditions.
Some relevant publications
- Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Zs., Temovski, M., Kern, Z., Madarász, B., Milevski, I., Lachner, J., & Steier,
P. 2022. Late Pleistocene glacial advances, equilibrium-line altitude changes and paleoclimate in
the Jakupica Mts (North Macedonia). CATENA, 216, 106383.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2022.106383
- Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Zs., Kern, Z., Urdea, P., Madarász, B., Braucher, R., ASTER Team 2021. Limited
glacial erosion during the last glaciation in mid-latitude cirques (Retezat Mts, Southern
Carpathians, Romania). Geomorphology, 107719. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2021.107719
- Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Zs., Kern, Z., Temovski, M., Madarász, B., Milevski, I., Braucher, R., ASTER
Team. 2020. Last deglaciation in the central Balkan Peninsula: geochronological evidence from the
Jablanica Mt. (North Macedonia). Geomorphology, 351. 106985. 1-13.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2019.106985.
River incision, uplift history, paleohydrology, karst evolution
River terraces, fluvial sediments
The Danube, which forms the backbone of the drainage network of the Pannonian Basin, incised between the
ranges of the Transdanubian Mountains and the North Hungarian Mountains as these mountain blocks were
uplifted. The best‑known segment of its valley is the Danube Bend, which developed along the axis of the
rising terrain. Cosmogenic nuclide geochronology has made it possible to determine the onset of this
incision and to date individual stages of valley deepening, thereby quantifying the rate of incision. In
addition, by dating fluvial sediments, it is possible to establish the timing of changes in the valley
network and former drainage directions, providing insights into past hydrological conditions.
Some relevant publications
- Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Z., Csillag, G. Wieser, A., Marchhart, O., Braun, M., Fodor, L. 2025. Testing
grain size dependent variability of cosmogenic nuclide concentrations for isochron burial dating of
fluvial sediment (Pannonian Basin, Hungary). MethodsX, 103708,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2025.103708
- Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Z., Neuhuber, S., Hintersberger, E., & Nørgaard, J. 2025. Iterative outlier
identification for robust cosmogenic 26Al/10Be burial dating of fluvial terraces: a case study from
the Danube River (Vienna Basin, Austria). E&G Quaternary Science Journal, 74(1), 59-78.
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-59-2025
- Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Z., Balázs, A., Csillag, G., Drijkoningen, G., & Fodor, L. 2020. Uplift of the
Transdanubian Range, Pannonian Basin: How fast and why? Global and Planetary Change, 192, 103263.
1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2020.103263
- Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Zs., Csillag, G., Fodor, L., Braucher, R., Novothny, Á., Thamó-Bozsó, E., Virág,
A., Pazonyi, P., Timár, G., ASTER Team. 2018. Integration of new and revised chronological data to
constrain the terrace evolution of the Danube River (Gerecse Hills, Pannonian Basin). Quaternary
Geochronology 48, 148-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2018.08.003
Karst evolution, age determination of cave sediments
The washing‑in and deposition of allochtonous sediments into caves at different passage levels provide
important information not only about cave development but also about the evolution of the associated
surface karst. By determining their ages, it is possible to reconstruct the chronology of surface
hydrological changes, drainage‑network reorganization, and valley incision processes. These age
constraints also yield quantitative insights into the rate of regional landscape denudation and the
uplift history.
Some relevant publications
- Stüwe, K., Robl, J., Gradwohl, G., Fabel, D., Stuart, F. M., Plan, L., & Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Z.
(2026). Surface uplift of the Eastern Alps. Was it much faster than we thought?. Earth-Science
Reviews, 105374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2025.105374
- Temovski, M., Wieser, A., Marchart, O., Braun, M., Madarász, B., Kiss, G. I., Palcsu, L.,
Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Z. (2024). Pleistocene valley incision, landscape evolution and inferred
tectonic uplift in the central parts of the Balkan Peninsula–Insights from the geochronology of cave
deposits in the lower part of Crna Reka basin (N. Macedonia). Geomorphology, 445, 108994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2023.108994
- Temovski, M., Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Z., Molnár, K., Rinyu, L., Wieser, A., Marchhart, O., Palcsu, L.,
2024. Constraining the evolutionary stages of a hypogene karst system by combining morphological,
geochemical and geochronological data - the example of carbonate breccia-hosted Melnička Peštera.
International Journal of Speleology, 53(2), 169-190. https://doi.org/10.5038/1827-806X.53.2.2509
Determination of denudation rate
The cosmogenic nuclide analysis of exposed rock surfaces or even entire drainage basins makes it
possible to quantify long‑term (from tens to hundreds of thousands of years) denudation rates across
large regions. This is particularly important in cases where erosion processes must be examined over
timescales that exceed the duration of human impacts and extend across multiple climatic cycles.
Some relevant publications
-
Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Z., Knudsen, M.F., Bauer, M., Telbisz, T., ASTER Team, Sebe, K., 2026.
Cosmogenic
nuclide 26Al-10Be disequilibrium used to quantify Quaternary loess cover and integrated bedrock
denudation rates in the Western Mecsek Mountains, Pannonian Basin. Catena, 267, 109971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2026.109971
-
Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger, Zs., Neuhuber, S., Braucher, R., Lachner, J., Steier, P., Wieser, A., Braun, M.,
ASTER Team 2021. Comparison and performance of two cosmogenic nuclide sample preparation procedures
of
in situ produced 10Be and 26Al. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 329(3), 1523-1536.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-07916-4