Dune deformation in a multi-directional wind regime: White Sands Dune Field, New Mexico

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (7) ◽  
pp. 925-941 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anine Pedersen ◽  
Gary Kocurek ◽  
David Mohrig ◽  
Virginia Smith
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Wind Regime ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
White Sands

Controls of aeolian dune height on cross-strata architecture: White Sands Dune Field, New Mexico, U.S.A.

2021 ◽  
Vol 91 (5) ◽  
pp. 495-506
Author(s):  
Feifei Zhao ◽  
Benjamin T. Cardenas ◽  
Wonsuck Kim
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Positive Trend ◽  
Single Event ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
Storage Mechanism ◽  
Temporary Storage ◽  
Aeolian Dunes ◽  
Dune Height ◽  
White Sands ◽  
Thickness Measurements

ABSTRACT The stratal types composing aeolian dunes preserve a record of the transport and sorting of grains and are categorized into: 1) grainflow strata, 2) grainfall laminae, and 3) wind-ripple laminae. The arrangement of these deposits in the cross beds of a formative dune is largely unexplored. Here, field results from White Sands Dune Field, New Mexico, USA, are used to test the hypothesis that dune height controls the arrangement, abundance, and geometry of cross-stratification types. Grainflow thicknesses and deposit widths were measured on wind-scoured stoss-side exposures of seven crescentic dunes with heights ranging from 1.7 m to 11.2 m. Dozens of grainflow thickness measurements were taken along transverse-oriented strata normal to the crest on each dune. The results show that grainflow thickness averages from 1 cm to 4 cm. These data show a positive trend between mean grainflow thickness and dune height but only for the grainflow thicknesses measured at the bases of dunes. The tallest dune (11.2 m) produced many thick grainflow packages of 10 cm to 30 cm in which individual grainflow strata were indistinguishable from each other. This amalgamation was also found to be characteristic of larger dunes—the product of a lack of grainfall deposits separating individual grainflows. These differences in grainflow strata at the bases of dune lee slopes are linked to the temporary storage of sediment along the upper parts of lee slopes. In taller dunes with longer lee slopes, amalgamated grainflows which require multiple avalanche events and take longer time to reach the base transport temporarily stored sediment at upper parts of the slope. This allows time for wind ripples to rework accumulations near the base, where grainfall deposition is also limited. Shorter dunes lack this temporary storage mechanism, as individual grainflows can move across the entire lee slope in a single event, and grainfall accumulates across the entire lee slope. These stratigraphic measurements and process-based understanding will be useful in estimating original dune height in ancient cross-strata and will lead to a better interpretation of aeolian stratigraphy.

Low-angle eolian deposits formed by protodune migration, and insights into slipface development at White Sands Dune Field, New Mexico

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 9-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.D. Phillips ◽  
R.C. Ewing ◽  
R. Bowling ◽  
B.A. Weymer ◽  
P. Barrineau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
Eolian Deposits ◽  
White Sands

White Sands Dune Field, New Mexico: Age, dune dynamics and recent accumulations

2007 ◽  
Vol 197 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 313-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Kocurek ◽  
Mary Carr ◽  
Ryan Ewing ◽  
Karen G. Havholm ◽  
Y.C. Nagar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
White Sands ◽  
Dune Dynamics

scholarly journals Contemporary and future dust sources and emission fluxes from gypsum- and quartz-dominated eolian systems, New Mexico and Texas, USA

Geology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark R. Sweeney ◽  
Steven L. Forman ◽  
Eric V. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Dust Emission ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Surface Characteristics ◽  
Dust Emissions ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
Dust Sources ◽  
White Sands ◽  
Sand Sheets

Recent research on dust emissions from eolian dunes seeks to improve regional and global emissions estimates and knowledge of dust sources, particularly with a changing climate. Dust emissions from dune fields can be more accurately estimated when considering the whole eolian system composed of active to stabilized dunes, interdunes, sand sheets, and playas. Each landform can emit different concentrations of dust depending on the supply of silt and clay, soil surface characteristics, and the degree to which the landforms are dynamic and interact. We used the Portable In Situ Wind Erosion Laboratory (PI-SWERL) to measure PM10 (particulate matter <10 μm) dust emission potential from landforms in two end-member eolian systems: the White Sands dune field in New Mexico (USA), composed of gypsum, and the Monahans dune field in west Texas, composed of quartz. White Sands is a hotspot of dust emissions where dunes and the adjacent playa yield high dust fluxes up to 8.3 mg/m2/s. In contrast, the active Monahans dunes contain 100% sand and produce low dust fluxes up to 0.5 mg/m2/s, whereas adjacent stabilized sand sheets and dunes that contain silt and clay could produce up to 17.7 mg/m2/s if reactivated by climate change or anthropogenic disturbance. These findings have implications for present and future dust emission potential of eolian systems from the Great Plains to the southwestern United States, with unrealized emissions of >300 t/km2/yr.

Stratigraphic architecture resulting from dune interactions: White Sands Dune Field, New Mexico

Sedimentology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 686-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah C. Brothers ◽  
Gary Kocurek ◽  
Thomas C. Brothers ◽  
Ilya V. Buynevich
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
Stratigraphic Architecture ◽  
White Sands

Definition and origin of the dune-field pattern at White Sands, New Mexico

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 269-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke Baitis ◽  
Gary Kocurek ◽  
Virginia Smith ◽  
David Mohrig ◽  
Ryan C. Ewing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Field Pattern ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
White Sands

Historical Dune Pattern Dynamics: White Sands Dune Field, New Mexico

2009 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 64-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Rachal ◽  
Daniel P. Dugas
Keyword(s):  
New Mexico ◽  
Dune Field ◽  
Pattern Dynamics ◽  
White Sands
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document