Quantification of soil erosion using Be in a steep watershed used for natural grazing in Brazil.

Cosmogenic Be was used to evaluate soil loss in a mountainous micro-watershed near Belo Horizonte, Southwest Brazil. Two nearby sites were selected, a reference site in a flat area and an eroded site in a hill slope. At the reference site, soil samples were collected monthly throughout the year in order to evaluate seasonal variations of Be inventory in soil and its relation with the precipitation regime.