Dune-field chronology in the Simpson Desert, revealed by cosmogenic nuclide and luminescence dating

Understanding the processes that govern the transformation of the landscape through time is essential for exploring the evolution of a coastal area. Coastal landscapes are dynamic sites, with their evolution strongly linked with waves and sea level variations. Geomorphological features in the coastal area, such as beachrock formations and dune fields, can function as indicators of the coastal landscape evolution through time. However, our knowledge of the chronological framework of coastal deposits in the Aegean coasts is limited. Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating techniques are deemed to be very promising in direct dating of the coastal sediments, especially when they are linked with archaeological evidence. The dating of the sediments from different sediment core depths, determined by the method of luminosity, allowed us to calculate the rate of sediment deposition over time. More recent coastal evolution and stability were examined from 1945 to 2020 with the use of aerial photographs and satellite images. This paper presents the 6000 ka evolution of a coastal landscape based on geomorphological, archaeological, and radio-chronological data. Based on the results, the early stages of the Ammoudara beach dune field appears to have been formed ~9.0–9.6 ka BP, while the OSL ages from 6 m depth represented the timing of its stabilization (OSL ages ~5–6 ka). This indicates that the dune field appears to already have been formed long before the Bronze Age (5–10 ka BP). It became stabilized with only localized episodes of dune reactivation occurring. In contrast, while high coastal erosion rates were calculated for modern times.

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Evidence from the Rio Bayo valley on the extent of the North Patagonian Icefield during the Late Pleistocene–Holocene Transition

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/j.yqres.2005.09.002 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 70-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Neil F. Glasser ◽

Stephan Harrison ◽

Susan Ivy-Ochs ◽

Geoffrey A.T. Duller ◽

Peter W. Kubik

Keyword(s):

Late Pleistocene ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Optically Stimulated Luminescence ◽

Luminescence Dating ◽

Age Dating ◽

Outlet Glacier ◽

Geomorphological Mapping ◽

Cosmogenic Nuclide ◽

The North ◽

Exposure Age

AbstractThis paper presents data on the extent of the North Patagonian Icefield during the Late Pleistocene–Holocene transition using cosmogenic nuclide exposure age and optically stimulated luminescence dating. We describe geomorphological and geochronological evidence for glacier extent in one of the major valleys surrounding the North Patagonian Icefield, the Rio Bayo valley. Geomorphological mapping provides evidence for the existence of two types of former ice masses in this area: (i) a large outlet glacier of the North Patagonian Icefield, which occupied the main Rio Bayo valley, and (ii) a number of small glaciers that developed in cirques on the slopes of the mountains surrounding the valley. Cosmogenic nuclide exposure-age dating of two erratic boulders on the floor of the Rio Bayo valley indicate that the outlet glacier of the icefield withdrew from the Rio Bayo valley after 10,900 ± 1000 yr (the mean of two boulders dated to 11,400 ± 900 yr and 10,500 ± 800 yr). Single-grain optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of an ice-contact landform constructed against this glacier indicates that this ice mass remained in the valley until at least 9700 ± 700 yr. The agreement between the two independent dating techniques (OSL and cosmogenic nuclide exposure age dating) increases our confidence in these age estimates. A date obtained from a boulder on a cirque moraine above the main valley indicates that glaciers advanced in cirques surrounding the icefield some time around 12,500 ± 900 yr. This evidence for an expanded North Patagonian Icefield between 10,900 ± 1000 yr and 9700 ± 700 yr implies cold climatic conditions dominated at this time.

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Frontier mystery: An unusual mound of kopi mourning caps on the eastern edge of the Simpson Desert

Queensland Archaeological Research ◽

10.25120/qar.22.2019.3700 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

pp. 59-63 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Giles Hamm ◽

Don Rowlands ◽

Mike Smith

Keyword(s):

Direct Evidence ◽

Contact Period ◽

Single Event ◽

Social Ranking ◽

Dune Field ◽

Colonial Expansion ◽

Colonial Frontier ◽

Eastern Edge ◽

Simpson Desert ◽

Single Cluster

On the eastern edge of the Simpson dune field, an unusual find of 40–60 mourning caps in a single cluster, prompts us to raise issues about its interpretation. This region is known for violence along the colonial frontier, and this kopi site is only one to two days walk from the site of a known massacre of a ceremonial gathering of people at Kaliduwarry waterhole in about 1878. There is no direct evidence showing that this site coincides with colonial expansion in this region in the late 1870s, but the condition of these caps and their geomorphic context indicate that this site cannot be older than a few hundred years. If it dates to the pre-contact period in the 1800s, this kopi site must reflect a higher degree of social ranking and complexity than is usually assumed in the ethnography. Whether or not this remarkable site relates to the death of a single, high-ranked individual or multiple deaths on the colonial frontier in a single event, this cluster of mourning caps indicates that 40–60 people were in mourning simultaneously.

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Integrating Geomorphological Data, Geochronology, and Archaeological Evidence for Coastal Landscape Reconstruction. The Case of Ammoudara Beach, Crete

10.20944/preprints202104.0349.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

George Alexandrakis ◽

Stelios Petrakis ◽

Nikolaos Kampanis

Keyword(s):

Bronze Age ◽

Coastal Area ◽

Luminescence Dating ◽

Coastal Sediments ◽

Aerial Photographs ◽

Coastal Landscape ◽

Archaeological Evidence ◽

Dune Field ◽

Coastal Landscapes ◽

Coastal Deposits

Understanding the processes that govern the transformation of the landscape through time is essential for exploring the evolution of a coastal area. Coastal landscapes are dynamic sites, with their evolution strongly linked with waves and sea-level variations. Geomorphological features in the coastal area, such as beachrock formations and dune fields, can function as indicators of the coastal landscape evolution through time. However, our knowledge of the chronological framework of coastal deposits on the Aegean coasts is limited. Optically stimulated luminescence dating techniques are deemed to be very promising indirect dating of the coastal sediments, especially when they are linked with archaeological evidence. The dating of the sediments from different sediment core depths, as they are determined by the method of luminosity, allows us to calculate the rate of sediment deposition over time. Additionally, the coastal evolution and stability were studied from 1945 until today, with the use of aerial photographs and satellite images. This paper presents the 6000 ka years evolution of a coastal landscape based on geomorphological, archaeological, and radio-chronological data. Based on the results, the early stages of the Ammoudara beach dune field appear to be formed ~9.0 – 9.6 ka BP, while the OSL ages from 6 m depth represented the timing of its stabilization (OSL ages ~5–6 ka). This indicates that the dune field appears to already have been formed long before the Bronze Age (5-10 ka BP) and became stabilized with only localized episodes of dune reactivation occurring, while high coastal erosion rates are found in modern times.

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Australias geological heritage a national inventory for future geoparks and geotourism

Geotourism: the tourism of geology and landscape ◽

10.23912/978-1-906884-09-3-1091 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Bernard Joyce

Keyword(s):

World Heritage ◽

Geological Heritage ◽

Significant Part ◽

Dune Field ◽

National Inventory ◽

Rock Types ◽

Southeastern Australia ◽

Simpson Desert

Australia has a coastline of around 32,000 km, with varying rock types and structure, coastal type and climate. Outstanding and representative coastal sites form a significant part of the Australian inventory. Major terrains included inland deserts (for example the Simpson Desert dune field, northern tropical savannah (the Kakadu World Heritage Region, glacial and periglacial upland in the far south (southwest Tasmania, broad inland riverine plays and the young volcanic provinces of southeastern Australia and northeastern Australia.

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The lost oasis: Archaeology of a ‘forgotten’ mikiri well in the Simpson Desert

Queensland Archaeological Research ◽

10.25120/qar.23.2020.3717 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 23 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Don Rowlands ◽

Mike Smith ◽

Ingereth Macfarlane ◽

Duncan Wright ◽

Max Tischler

Keyword(s):

Archaeological Sites ◽

Sand Ridge ◽

Last Millennium ◽

The West ◽

Dune Field ◽

The World ◽

Human Use ◽

Simpson Desert

This paper describes a previously unknown mikiri well in the Simpson dune field. This site was abandoned about 500-600 years ago and does not feature in ethnographic records for this region. We argue that its abandonment was most likely due to failure of the well caused by a fall in the local watertable. The Simpson Desert is one of the major sand-ridge deserts of the world, but current views of the chronology of human use of this vast dune field rest on only a handful of radiocarbon ages (n=12). The radiocarbon ages for this mikiri, and its surroundings, add to this limited dataset. We plot all available radiocarbon ages from archaeological sites in the dune field showing that occupation of this mikiri coincided with a widespread increase in use of the dune field during the last millennium, at about the time the Wangkanguru people in the dune field were becoming linguistically distinct from the Arabana to the west.

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Cosmogenic-nuclide burial ages for Quaternary drilling core sediments in the Yangtze River De, China

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-21991 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Xiao Qi

Keyword(s):

Late Pleistocene ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Luminescence Dating ◽

Early Pleistocene ◽

Middle Pleistocene ◽

The Yangtze River ◽

Quaternary Sediments ◽

Cosmogenic Nuclide ◽

Drilling Core ◽

Early Late

The establishment of Quaternary drilling core time rulers is an important basis for analyzing&#160;the evolution of the Quaternary environment in the plain areas&#65294;After analyzing the lithology, color, material composition, sedimentary structure and interface of the Quaternary sediments with a total thickness of 95.5m in YBK1 core in the east side of Yunhe Bridge in Shiqiao Town, Yangzhou City&#65292;dividing the stratum in detail&#65292;and using dating methods like AMS14C&#65292;OSL&#65292;cosmogenic nuclide and paleomagnetism. Based on four AMS14C, ten OSL and two 26Al&#160;and 10Be burial ages from Quaternary drilling core&#160;sediments in the Yangtze River De,&#160;the Quaternary stratigraphic-time ruler of YBK1 core was established&#65294;The Quaternary sediments is overlying the Pukou group red siltstone&#65292;and it is composed of four sets of strata&#65292;which from old to new respectively are: the upper part of the early Late-Pleistocene Qidong Group&#65292;with age of 0. 1 0. 3Ma&#65292;thickness of 30. 20m; the lower part of the early Late-Pleistocene Kunshan Group&#65292;with age of 0. 1 0. 045Ma&#65292;thickness of 1. 80m; the middle part of the later Late-Pleistocene Gehu&#160;Group&#65292;with age of 0. 045 &#65374; 0. 01Ma&#65292;thickness of only 3. 40m; the Holocene Rudong Group&#65292;with large thickness of 55. 10m. According to the lithological characteristics of YBK1 core&#65292;Early-Pleistocene and Early-Middle-Pleistocene sediments are non-existentKeywords: Quaternary Strata; Burial dating; luminescence dating, the Yangtze River De

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