The role of the Nile in initiating a massive dust influx to the Negev late in the middle Pleistocene

Amit, Rivka; Enzel, Yehouda; Crouvi, Onn; Simhai, Ori; Matmon, Ari; Porat, Naomi; McDonald, Eric V.; Gillespie, Alan R.

doi:10.1130/b30241.1

Cited by 72 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…19). Thus, our feldspar and calcite results support the hypothesis of Crouvi et al (2008Crouvi et al ( , 2010Crouvi et al ( , 2012, Enzel et al (2008Enzel et al ( , 2010, and Amit et al (2011) that the SinaieNegev erg could be at least a partial source for loess in Israel. It is important to point out, however, that loess in Israel, at least in places, contains significant amounts of very fine-grained particles that are unlikely to be produced by abrasion in the SinaieNegev erg.…”

Section: Implications For the Origin Of Loess From Aeolian Sand In Thsupporting

confidence: 85%

“…As alluded to earlier, a number of recent studies (Crouvi et al, , 2012Enzel et al, 2008Enzel et al, , 2010Amit et al, 2011) have concluded that dunefields, and the SinaieNegev erg in particular, are important generators of silt-sized quartz that constitute a major part of "desert" (i.e., non-glaciogenic) loess. The main mechanism envisioned in this process is reduction of sand-sized quartz to siltsized quartz by abrasion during aeolian transport.…”

Section: Implications For the Origin Of Loess From Aeolian Sand In Thmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Although abrasion of sand grains and size reduction due to ballistic impacts have been recognized for a long time as a possible source of loess and finer grained dust (see reviews in Muhs and Bettis, 2003;Muhs, 2013), there has been considerable emphasis on the importance of this process in subtropical deserts in recent years (Crouvi et al, , 2012Enzel et al, 2008Enzel et al, , 2010Amit et al, 2011). In these latter studies, the SinaieNegev erg is proposed to be at least a partial source of loess in Israel, downwind of the dunefield.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Davis et al (2012) propose that the Nile has been a major source for aeolian sediments in Israel for the past w2.5 million years, based on cosmogenic isotope evidence from quartz. Nevertheless, identification of the Nile as a source for the SinaieNegev erg sands seems to have been both a working assumption and an untested hypothesis (Neev et al, 1987;Goring-Morris and Goldberg, 1990;Pye and Tsoar, 2009;Amit et al, 2011;Roskin et al, 2011bRoskin et al, , 2012. The best argument for a Nile Delta source is the simple lack of evidence for other likely sources .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1). Crouvi et al (2008Crouvi et al ( , 2010Crouvi et al ( , 2012, Enzel et al (2008Enzel et al ( , 2010, and Amit et al (2011) have emphasized the importance of this dunefield in supplying silt-sized quartz, generated by aeolian abrasion of sand-sized quartz, to loess downwind. If reduction of sand-sized quartz to silt size by aeolian abrasion has occurred, then other minerals in the SinaieNegev erg should also be affected by this process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Origin of the Sinai–Negev erg, Egypt and Israel: mineralogical and geochemical evidence for the importance of the Nile and sea level history

Muhs

Roskin

Tsoar

et al. 2013

Quaternary Science Reviews

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"Origin of the Sinai-Negev erg, Egypt and Israel: mineralogical and geochemical evidence for the importance of the Nile and sea level history" (2013 Overall, the mineralogical data suggest that the dunes are derived dominantly from the Nile Delta, with Sinai wadi sands being a minor contributor. Geochemical data that proxy for both the light mineral fraction (SiO 2 /10eAl 2 O 3 þ Na 2 O þ K 2 OeCaO) and heavy mineral fraction (Fe 2 O 3 eMgOeTiO 2 ) also indicate a dominant Nile Delta source for the dunes. Thus, we report here the first empirical evidence that the SinaieNegev dunes are derived dominantly from the Nile Delta. Linkage of the SinaieNegev erg to the Nile Delta as a source is consistent with the distribution of OSL ages of Negev dunes in recent studies. Stratigraphic studies show that during the Last Glacial period, when dune incursions in the SinaieNegev erg began, what is now the Nile Delta area was characterized by a broad, sandy, minimally vegetated plain, with seasonally dry anastomosing channels. Such conditions were ideal for providing a ready source of sand for aeolian transport under what were probably much stronger glacial-age winds.With the post-glacial rise in sea level, the Nile River began to aggrade. Post-glacial sedimentation has been dominated by fine-grained silts and clays. Thus, sea level, along with favorable climatic conditions, emerges as a major influence on the timing of dune activity in the SinaieNegev erg, through its control on the supply of sand from the Nile Delta. The mineralogy of the SinaieNegev dunes is also consistent with a proposed hypothesis that these sediments are an important source of loess in Israel.Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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Section: Implications For the Origin Of Loess From Aeolian Sand In Thsupporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Implications For the Origin Of Loess From Aeolian Sand In Thmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Origin of the Sinai–Negev erg, Egypt and Israel: mineralogical and geochemical evidence for the importance of the Nile and sea level history

Muhs

Roskin

Tsoar

et al. 2013

Quaternary Science Reviews

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Loess or lake sediments: Resolving the origin of massive beds in the Lower Jurassic of southern Africa

Head

Bordy

2023

Geological Journal

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Throughout Earth's history, dust deposits have been considered sensitive markers of fluctuations in global atmospheric circulation patterns. However, the identification of ancient dust deposits remains problematic, as their massive (structureless) nature impedes an unequivocal classification. In southern Africa, the Lower Jurassic Clarens Formation is dominated by intriguing structureless sandy siltstones that have been interpreted as loess even though classical diagnostic outcrop‐scale loess features are not observed. In this study, we utilized grain characteristics such as size, shape, sorting and fabric to assess the origin of these ubiquitous massive beds, as compared to strata with a known origin in the unit. Based on these grain characteristics, the massive beds can be grouped into six different facies types (Facies 1–6). Facies 1 has very similar grain features to the large‐scale cross‐bedded strata and thus it is interpreted as migrating dune deposits, only apparently massive. The dominant grain size with a large proportion of very fine‐grained sand and the random grain fabric suggests that Facies 2 resulted from sandy dust fall (short‐term suspension), whereas Facies 3 is interpreted as aeolian dust, having features consistent with modern and ancient loess due to its dominant silt grain size and random grain fabric. Features in Facies 4 are undiagnostic and could reflect a range of aeolian processes, although a dominant silt grain size may suggest an overwhelming loess component. Facies 5 and 6 show primary aeolian signatures with the preferred grain orientation being evidence of reworking in an aqueous setting (e.g., lake, stream). These six facies types represent a spectrum of depositional processes that occurred in response to erg migration and climatic changes along this Early Jurassic erg margin. Their facies diversity is evidence for: (1) dry and windy conditions in SW Gondwana during the Sinemurian to Pliensbachian, and (2) reworking of the aeolian sediments in various fluvial and lacustrine settings during the development of one of the largest known sand seas in Earth's history.

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Sand Bodies in Israel: Sources, Dynamics, Morphology, Chronology and Relations with Prehistoric to Modern Humans

Roskin

2024

World Geomorphological Landscapes

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The role of the Nile in initiating a massive dust influx to the Negev late in the middle Pleistocene

Cited by 72 publications

References 60 publications

Origin of the Sinai–Negev erg, Egypt and Israel: mineralogical and geochemical evidence for the importance of the Nile and sea level history

Origin of the Sinai–Negev erg, Egypt and Israel: mineralogical and geochemical evidence for the importance of the Nile and sea level history

Loess or lake sediments: Resolving the origin of massive beds in the Lower Jurassic of southern Africa

Sand Bodies in Israel: Sources, Dynamics, Morphology, Chronology and Relations with Prehistoric to Modern Humans

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