Chronology of dune development in the White River Badlands, northern Great Plains, USA

Abstract

Aeolian dune field chronologies provide important information on drought history on the Great Plains. The White River Badlands (WRB) dunes are located approximately 60 km north of the Nebraska Sand Hills (NSH), in the western section of the northern Great Plains. Clifftop dunes, sand sheets, and stabilized northwestsoutheast trending parabolic dunes are found on upland mesas and buttes, locally 1

Holocene evolution of parabolic dunes, White River Badlands, South Dakota, USA, revealed by high-resolution mapping

“…The purpose of this study was to leverage previously reported OSL ages (n = 37), together with a newly acquired set of very-high-resolution (1 m/pixel) digital elevation models (DEMs), to identify morphological criteria that could be used to distinguish dunes of Early to Middle Holocene from Late Holocene dunes. Results from previous studies of the WRB dunes (Baldauf et al, 2019) suggest that there is a correlation between dune age, determined from OSL, and dune morphology. Generally, field observations indicate that dune crests with older OSL ages have gentler slopes and rounded contours, whereas dune crests with younger OSL ages have sharp contours and steep slopes, similar to observations from other parabolic dune fields (Patton et al, 2019, 2022a, 2022b).…”

“…The presence of fluvial gravels, found at the sediment–bedrock interface of the tables, supports the interpretation that the tables are dissected fluvial terraces of the ancestral White River, Cheyenne River, or their tributaries (Harksen, 1974; Stamm et al, 2013).

Figure 2.Upland tables in the White River Badlands with locations of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples from Baldauf et al (2019) denoted by diamonds and Burkhart et al (2008) denoted by circles. Rectangles mark the approximate locations of the study areas.

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“…Upland tables in the White River Badlands with locations of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples from Baldauf et al (2019) denoted by diamonds and Burkhart et al (2008) denoted by circles. Rectangles mark the approximate locations of the study areas.…”

“…Thickness of the eolian sand ranges from less than 1 m to 60 m, increasing in thickness in the downwind (southern) sections of the tables. Dune sand is typically composed of moderately well-sorted sand with less than 10% silt and clay, and CaCO 3 content ranging from less than 3% to 4.5% (Baldauf et al, 2019). Dune chronology published previously (Baldauf et al, 2019) indicates three periods of eolian activity at 21 to 12 ka, 9 to 6 ka, and post–700 yr. Chronology of ECT activity indicates three periods at 4.5 ka, 3.6 ka, and 1000 yr (Rawling et al, 2003).…”

“…Previous studies indicate the WRB dune fields experienced periods of eolian activity coincident with other dune fields on the central and northern Great Plains, supporting climate as the primary driver for eolian activity. WRB dune field experienced an early period of activity during the terminal Pleistocene (21 ka to 12 ka), a period of Early to Middle Holocene activity (~9 ka to 6 ka) during the HTM (~11 ka to 5 ka), and a post–700 yr period during the LIA that extends to the modern era (Rawling et al, 2003; Burkhart et al, 2008; Baldauf et al, 2019). These periods are similar, but not identical, to eolian activity determined for the nearby NSH.…”