Abstract

The production rates of cosmogenic radionuclides, such as ¹⁰Be, ¹⁴C, and ³⁶Cl, in the Earth’s atmosphere vary with the geomagnetic field and solar activity. For the first time, the production rates of several cosmogenic nuclides are estimated for the past 100 ka based on global, time-dependent geomagnetic field models and a moderate solar-activity level. In particular, the production rates were high with no notable latitudinal dependence during the Laschamps geomagnetic excursion (41 ka BP). The mean global production of ¹⁰Be over the Laschamps excursion was more than two times greater than the present-day one, whereas the increase was 1.9 times for the Norwegian-Greenland Sea excursion (∼65 ka), and only 1.3 times for the Mono Lake/Auckland excursion (∼34 ka). All analyzed geomagnetic field models covering the past 100 ka, including the modern and Holocene epochs, lead to hemispheric asymmetry in the production rates, persistent overall time ranges, and reflected in the time-averaged nuclide production rates. Production rates predicted by the geomagnetic field models are in good agreement with actual measurements from ice cores and sediment records. These global, long-term production rates are important for a wide range of studies that employ cosmogenic nuclides as a proxy/tracer of different Earth system processes.