The Dynamic Holocene Dune Fields of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Basins, U.S.A.

Ahlbrandt, Thomas S.; Swinehart, James B.; Maroney, David G.

doi:10.1016/s0070-4571(08)70806-9

Cited by 91 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Most paleowind evidence was derived from eolian features that were speculated to be Late Pleistocene in age, but that lacked sufficient dating of these deposits. Ahlbrandt et al (1983) provided the first radiocarbon ages showing that most dune fields south of the Late Wisconsinan glacial limit, thought to have formed in the Late Pleistocene, record mostly mid-to late Holocene episodes of activity. Since then, numerous studies on the North American Great Plains have used radiocarbon, thermoluminescence and optical dating techniques to document episodes of Holocene dune activity (Madole, 1994;Muhs et al, 1997;Stokes and Swinehart, 1997;Forman et al, 2001;Wolfe et al, 2002aWolfe et al, , 2002bWolfe et al, , 2002cGoble et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relict Late Wisconsinan Dune Fields of the Northern Great Plains, Canada*

Wolfe

Huntley

Ollerhead

2006

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Late Wisconsinan dune activity is investigated within the present-day boreal forest and parkland regions of the northern Great Plains, Canada, to extend the understanding of the spatial and temporal eolian record. Optical ages from stabilized sand dunes document the timing of past activity. Eolian activity ranges from about 16 ka in west-central Alberta to 9 ka in northwestern Saskatchewan. Between about 16 and 13 ka, dune activity in central Alberta occurred in an ice-proximal tundra setting along the margins of the Laurentide and Cordilleran ice sheets. Predominant dune-forming winds were from the west and northwest. Dune activity continued in this area between about 13 and 11 ka within parkland and grassland settings as the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated to the northeast. Winds continued to blow from the west and northwest, and the climate was likely influenced by an increasingly dominant Pacific air mass. Also beginning at about 13 ka, dune-forming winds along the margins of the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet were influenced by anticyclonic winds from the southeast that were maintained until about 9 ka. As the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated, these southeasterly anticyclonic winds were successively replaced by winds from the northwest associated with the Pacific air mass. Dune activity across the region terminated in a time-transgressive manner from the southwest, at about 11 ka, to the northeast, at about 9 ka, with the establishment of boreal forest vegetation and reduced wind strength.Les auteurs étudient l’activité dunaire au Wisconsinien tardif dans la forêt boréale et la prairie-parc actuelles des Grandes Plaines septentrionales du Canada, afin d’approfondir les connaissances sur l’évolution spatiotemporelle de l’activité éolienne. Les âges optiques mesurés sur des dunes de sable stabilisées permettent de reconstituer la chronologie de l’activité passée. Les âges de l’activité éolienne s’échelonnent entre 16 ka dans le centre-ouest de l’Alberta et 9 ka dans le nord-ouest de la Saskatchewan. Entre 16 et 13 ka, l’activité dunaire dans le centre de l’Alberta a eu lieu dans un environnement de toundra juxtaglaciaire le long des marges des inlandsis laurentidien et cordillérien. Les vents efficaces prédominants soufflaient de l’ouest et du nord-ouest. L’activité dunaire s’est poursuivie dans cette région entre 13 et 11 ka dans des environnements de prairie-parc et de prairie herbageuse, avec le recul de l’Inlandsis laurentidien vers le nord-est. Les vents ont continué de souffler de l’ouest et du nord-ouest, et le climat a probablement été influencé par une masse d’air du Pacifique de plus en plus dominante. Également au début de 13 ka, les vents efficaces le long des marges de l’Inlandsis laurentidien en recul ont été influencées par des vents anticycloniques du sud-ouest, qui ont duré jusqu’à 9 ka. Avec le retrait de l’Inlandsis laurentidien, ces vents ont été successivement remplacés par des vents du nord-ouest associés à la masse d’air du Pacifique. L’activité dunaire dans la région s’est terminée de faç...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relict Late Wisconsinan Dune Fields of the Northern Great Plains, Canada*

Wolfe

Huntley

Ollerhead

2006

gpq

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“…Dunes in many parts of this region were long perceived to be relict landforms of full-glacial time (Wright, 1970;Sarnthein, 1978;Kutzbach and Wright, 1985), but it is now known that most dune "elds were last active in the Holocene. Stratigraphic studies combined with radiocarbon and luminescence dating methods demonstrate that eolian sands over a wide range of mid-continental North America have been active in the past 3000 years (David, 1971a, b;Ahlbrandt et al, 1983;Swinehart and Di!endal, 1990;Madole, 1994Madole, , 1995Holliday, 1995aHolliday, , b, 1997Forman et al, 1995;Loope et al, 1995;Arbogast, 1996;Muhs et al, 1996Muhs et al, , 1997aWolfe et al, 1995;Stokes and Swinehart, 1997). Furthermore, most of these studies have stratigraphic data indicating multiple periods of eolian activity in the late Holocene.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronology and geochemistry of late Holocene eolian deposits in the Brandon Sand Hills, Manitoba, Canada

Wolfe

Muhs

David

et al. 2000

Quaternary International

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Accelerator mass spectrometry and conventional radiocarbon age determinations of organic matter from paleosols indicate that the Brandon Sand Hills area of southern Manitoba has been subjected to recurrent intervals of eolian activity in the past 5000 years. Although precise regional correlations are precluded by dating uncertainties, periods of most notable paleosol development occurred around 2300 to 2000, 1400 to 1000, and 600 to 500 cal yr BP with eolian activity occurring before and after each of these periods. Episodes of eolian activity may correspond to periods of regional drought, whereas paleosols mark periods of increased moisture availability and stabilization by vegetation. The geochemistry of the eolian sands, paleosols and source sediments indicates that partial leaching of carbonates occurs from pedogenesis during humid climatic phases, and that this is probably the primary mechanism of carbonate depletion of eolian sands in this area. Recent trends in sand dune activity from historic aerial photography and early explorers' accounts indicate that the few active dunes that presently exist have stabilized at a rate of 10}20% per decade, despite several severe droughts in the 20th century. This may be attributed to pre-settlement droughts that were more severe than those in historic times although regional dune stabilization may also be related, in part, to the spread of forest cover in the past few hundred years. Crown copyright

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“…Following a major episode of sand dune formation 8000-5000 yr ago during a warm, dry period (Swinehart and Diffendal, 1990), the Sandhills have probably undergone several periods of more recent activity, including late Holocene dune formation 3000-1500 yr before present (Ahlbrandt, Swinehart, and Maroney, 1983). Blowouts form at the crest of the higher dunes, where moisture is limiting and plant cover may be insufficient to prevent sand movement, but overall, the Sandhills are relatively stable at present (Ahlbrandt, Swinehart, and Maroney, 1983). Lithospermum caroliniense occurs on the more prevalent, vegetated portions of the dunes rather than in blowouts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clonal growth of Lithospermum caroliniense (Boraginaceae) in contrasting sand dune habitats

Weller

Keeler

Thomson

2000

American J of Botany

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The occurrence of clonal growth of distylous Lithospermum caroliniense was investigated in a population in the Nebraska Sandhills, an area where sand dunes have been relatively stable for at least 1500–3000 yr, and compared to a population occurring at the Indiana Dunes, an area of active sand dune formation. Spatial autocorrelation analysis indicated the occurrence of significant clonal propagation of genetically based floral morphs at Arapaho Prairie, but not for the Indiana Dunes. Apparent clonal growth in the Sandhills population had no overall negative effect on pollen deposition or fecundity relative to the Indiana population, although in some large clones the proportion of compatible pollen grains on stigmas was lower. Clonal growth may have occurred in the Sandhills population because of the greater age and stability of the Nebraska Sandhills; infrequent establishment of seedlings permits detection of clonal growth using the spatial pattern of floral morphs. At the Indiana dunes, repeated cycles of dune formation provide conditions favoring establishment of seedlings, and sand dune succession results in disappearance of L. caroliniense before the development of clones.

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The Dynamic Holocene Dune Fields of the Great Plains and Rocky Mountain Basins, U.S.A.

Cited by 91 publications

References 23 publications

Relict Late Wisconsinan Dune Fields of the Northern Great Plains, Canada*

Relict Late Wisconsinan Dune Fields of the Northern Great Plains, Canada*

Chronology and geochemistry of late Holocene eolian deposits in the Brandon Sand Hills, Manitoba, Canada

Clonal growth of Lithospermum caroliniense (Boraginaceae) in contrasting sand dune habitats

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