Deposition of playa windblown dust over geologic time scales

Thick eolian deposits are commonly observed beneath desert pavements downwind of dust-emitting playas. These deposits play an important role in piedmont-surface evolution, controlling surface hydrologic conductivity and rates of pedogenesis. To better understand the factors controlling the spatial d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 2005-11, Vol.33 (11), p.909-912
Main Authors: Pelletier, Jon D, Cook, Joseph P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amargosa Desert
arid environment
atmospheric transport
California
Cartography
case studies
Cenozoic
clastic sediments
Conductivity
data processing
digital simulation
dust
Eagle Mountain
field studies
Franklin Lake
Geological time
geomorphology
graphic methods
Hydrology
Inyo County California
numerical models
playas
Quaternary
Quaternary geology
sediment transport
sediments
silt
terrestrial environment
time scales
topography
United States
wind transport
winds
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Summary:Thick eolian deposits are commonly observed beneath desert pavements downwind of dust-emitting playas. These deposits play an important role in piedmont-surface evolution, controlling surface hydrologic conductivity and rates of pedogenesis. To better understand the factors controlling the spatial distribution of eolian deposition, we developed a numerical model that treats deposition from spatially distributed playa sources using analytic point-source solutions for deposition from a Gaussian plume. The model also accounts for complex downwind topography. As a test case, model predictions were compared to eolian deposit thicknesses on Eagle Mountain piedmont, southern Amargosa Valley, California, which receives dust from nearby Franklin Lake playa. The close relationship between the model predictions and mapped thicknesses suggests that eolian transport and deposition can be modeled from basin to regional scales within this framework. These results have important implications for hydrologic, pedogenic, and air-quality problems.
ISSN:0091-7613
1943-2682
DOI:10.1130/G22013.1