Sabkhas, Saline Mudflats and Pans

Warren, John K.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-13512-0_3

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 170 publications

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“…The lower and upper bounding intervals are significant in showing a water‐table control on strata accumulation and preservation. Evidence for a water‐table control includes: (i) deflation of aeolian strata to the quasi‐planar surfaces (Loope, ; Kocurek, ); (ii) development of polygonal fractures on the lower surface, which are interpreted as thermal fracturing of an evaporite‐cemented surface (Kocurek & Hunter, ); (iii) accretion of sabkha deposits within the capillary fringe (Warren, ); and (iv) the presence of aeolian wet‐system accumulations (Kocurek & Havholm, ; Mountney & Thompson, ; Mountney, ). The lower and upper outcrop‐scale bounding surfaces marking the bases of these intervals are interpreted to represent the ending of an aeolian constructional event attributed to diminishing sand supply and migration of dunes from the area, followed by deflation of dune strata to intersect the water table.…”

Section: Stratigraphic Unitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is preserved in the aeolian rock record? A Jurassic Entrada Sandstone case study at the Utah–Arizona border

Kocurek

Day

2017

Sedimentology

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Aeolian dune fields evolve from protodunes and small dunes into a pattern of progressively fewer, larger and more widely spaced dunes within limits defined by boundary conditions. However, the allogenic boundary conditions that promote aeolian dune‐field development, accumulation of strata and preservation of accumulated strata are not the same. Autogenic processes, such as dune interactions, scour‐depth variation along migrating dunes and substrate cannibalization by growing dunes, result in removal of the stratigraphic record. Moreover, dune‐field events may be collapsed into major erosional bounding surfaces. The question is what stages of evolving dune fields are represented in the rock record? This case study of ca 60 m of Jurassic Entrada Sandstone on the Utah/Arizona border (USA) defines stratigraphic intervals by gross architecture of bounding surfaces and sets of cross‐strata. The interpreted intervals in stratigraphic order consist of: (i) a lower sabkha bed that transitions upward into erosional remnants of small sets representing an initial wet aeolian system; (ii) large, compound cross‐strata representing a mature dune field; (iii) isolated scour‐fill representing negatively climbing dunes that produced ca 25 m of palaeo‐topographic relief; (iv) downlapping sets that fill the landscape‐scale relief; (v) four intervals of stacked climbing sets that each represent short periods of time; and (vi) an upper sabkha bed that again transitions into small sets representing a wet system. Accumulations appear to be associated with sediment pulses, a rising water table, and filling of scoured troughs and landscape‐scale depressions. Preservation of the accumulations is selective and associated with a rising water table, burial and subsidence. The preserved record appears remarkably incomplete. Speculation about missing strata gravitates towards cannibalization of the record of early dune‐field construction, and strata removed during the formation of bounding surfaces. This local Entrada record is thought to represent a point in the spectrum of preservation styles in the rock record.

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Section: Stratigraphic Unitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What is preserved in the aeolian rock record? A Jurassic Entrada Sandstone case study at the Utah–Arizona border

Kocurek

Day

2017

Sedimentology

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“…Sebkhas are salt flats occurring on arid coastline in North Africa, Arabia, Baja California, and Shark Bay Australia [1]. They are considered among the most poikilotopic environments and characterized by extreme salt concentrations and electromagnetic radiation exposure together with low water and nutrient availabilities [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and Enzymatic Profiling of Halotolerant Micromycetes from Sebkha El Melah, a Saharan Salt Flat in Southern Tunisia

Jaouani

Neifar

Prigione

et al. 2014

BioMed Research International

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Twenty-one moderately halotolerant fungi have been isolated from sample ashes collected from Sebkha El Melah, a Saharan salt flat located in southern Tunisia. Based on morphology and sequence inference from the internal transcribed spacer regions, 28S rRNA gene and other specific genes such as β-tubulin, actin, calmodulin, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, the isolates were found to be distributed over 15 taxa belonging to 6 genera of Ascomycetes: Cladosporium (n = 3), Alternaria (n = 4), Aspergillus (n = 3), Penicillium (n = 5), Ulocladium (n = 2), and Engyodontium (n = 2). Their tolerance to different concentrations of salt in solid and liquid media was examined. Excepting Cladosporium cladosporioides JA18, all isolates were considered as alkali-halotolerant since they were able to grow in media containing 10% of salt with an initial pH 10. All isolates were resistant to oxidative stresses and low temperature whereas 5 strains belonging to Alternaria, Ulocladium, and Aspergillus genera were able to grow at 45°C. The screening of fungal strains for sets of enzyme production, namely, cellulase (CMCase), amylase, protease, lipase, and laccase, in presence of 10% NaCl, showed a variety of extracellular hydrolytic and oxidative profiles. Protease was the most abundant enzyme produced whereas laccase producers were members of the genus Cladosporium.

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“…The facies progression in the Deep Springs study area follows the common pattern associate with playa systems on Earth: bounding topography edged with alluvial fans yields to sand flats, then to mudflats, then saline mudflats, and finally a saline pan (Rosen, 1994;Warren, 2016). The transition from hardpack mud to crystalline encrusted saline pond is made clear by the changing geomorphology at the surface, which in turn reflects the interaction between water and wind across the playa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Exploring the transition between water and wind-dominated landscapes in Deep Springs, California as an analog for transitioning landscapes on Mars

Dorn

Day²

2022

Preprint

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Abstract. Many planetary surfaces have been shaped by aeolian and fluvial processes, and understanding the resulting landscape is of critical importance to understanding changes in climate. Surface features on Earth and Mars are commonly observed using a variety of remote sensing methods. The observed geomorphology provides evidence of present- and paleo-processes, but interpretations are limited by the resolution of the data and similarity to well-understood systems on Earth. In this work, we study a complex fluvio-lacustrine and aeolian landscape at Deep Springs playa, California, using field measurements and remote sensing as an analog for a wet-to-dry transitioning landscape on Mars. The playa system in arid Deep Springs reflects fluvio-lacustrine processes in its interior, but transitions to aeolian-dominated processes along the playa margin. Weather station data and field observations collected over 34 months illustrate the interplay between aeolian and lacustrine processes and provide context for interpreting the observed geomorphology in aerial images. Our results showed a consistent distal-to-proximal geomorphic transition in the landscape defined by the changing expression of polygonal fractures, wave ripples, and evaporite deposits. Crescent shaped sedimentary deposits, originally suspected to be related to barchan dunes, proved unrelated to aeolian processes. We discuss the processes, sedimentary features, and climate drivers at Deep Springs to provide a potential framework for identifying and interpreting similar interactions between fluvio‐lacustrine and aeolian geomorphology elsewhere on Earth, on Mars, and beyond.

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Sabkhas, Saline Mudflats and Pans

Cited by 11 publications

References 170 publications

What is preserved in the aeolian rock record? A Jurassic Entrada Sandstone case study at the Utah–Arizona border

What is preserved in the aeolian rock record? A Jurassic Entrada Sandstone case study at the Utah–Arizona border

Diversity and Enzymatic Profiling of Halotolerant Micromycetes from Sebkha El Melah, a Saharan Salt Flat in Southern Tunisia

Exploring the transition between water and wind-dominated landscapes in Deep Springs, California as an analog for transitioning landscapes on Mars

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