Erosion in the juniata river drainage basin, Pennsylvania

Previously calculated erosion rates througouth the Appalachians range from 1.2 to 203 m Myr⁻¹. Calculation of erosion rates has been accomplished by: (1) evaluation of riverine solute and sediment load in either large or small drainage basins; (2) estimation from the volume of derived sediments; and (3) methods involving either ¹⁰Be or fission-track dating. Values of specific conductance and suspended sediment collected at the Juniata River gauging station at Newport, Pennsylvania are used, with corrections, along with a bedload estimate to determine the total amount eroded from the 8687 km² drainage basin during the water years 1965–1986. The amount eroded is used to calculate a present erosion rate of 27 m Myr⁻¹.