Bedrock erodibility governs transient erosion and CO(2) release in alpine landscapes.

Shale-dominated catchments in the East River watershed denude three times faster than intrusive catchments despite gentler topography, affecting carbon dioxide release.

• Why it matters: Understanding how bedrock erodibility influences landscape evolution and carbon cycling is crucial, yet measuring denudation rates in fine-grained rocks has been challenging, limiting insights into their role in climate-related processes.
• What they did: The study combined cosmogenic beryllium-10 measurements in shale and intrusive rocks, topographic analysis, solute data, and landscape evolution modeling across the watershed, focusing on differences in erosion rates and chemical weathering.
• The result: Elevated shale denudation enhances solute generation and net inorganic weathering-driven CO2 release over million-year timescales, revealing that rock type variability can significantly alter alpine landscape carbon balances.