Paper No. 188-8
Presentation Time: 9:00 AM-6:30 PM
USING AN INTEGRATED SURFICIAL AND SUBSURFACE APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND PERIODS OF ACTIVITY IN THE DUNES OF SOUTHERN BOUQUET TABLE, WHITE RIVER BADLANDS SOUTH DAKOTA, USA
LEVENSON, Michael1, GONTZ, Allen1, BALDAUF, Paul2, BAKER, Gregory S.3, BURKHART, Patrick4, KELLY, Joshua T.5, FORREST, Ashley2 and RAMEY, Dylan2, (1)Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182, (2)Halmos College of Natural Sciences, Nova Southeastern University, 3301 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, (3)Dept. of Physical & Environmental Sciences, Colorado Mesa University, 1100 North Avenue, Grand Junction, CO 51801-3122, (4)Geography, Geology, and the Environment, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA 16057, (5)Department of Geological Sciences, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA 92182; Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093
Aeolian systems provide insight into changes in local and regional climate. Periods of activity generally correlate to times of increased aridity and/or landscape and vegetation destabilization. Understanding the timing and intensity of aeolian activity improves reconstruction of regional and local climatic impacts. The White River Badlands (WRB) aeolian dunes are located on the western section of the northern Great Plains in southwestern South Dakota. Vegetation stabilized aeolian deposits, including parabolic dunes and sand sheets, are found on mesas known locally as tables. On Bouquet Table (BT), previous work has identified a complex of dune forms that have been episodically active during the Holocene. Dates of activity are constrained through previously-reported Optically Stimulated Luminescence dating (OSL) and suggest stabilization ages that range from modern to ~11 kya.
A small subset of eastern BT was surveyed using high-resolution, UAV-based photogrammetry and ground penetrating radar (GPR). UAV-based imagery was used to create digital elevation models and orthophoto mosaics while the GPR for imaging the subsurface architecture of dune systems. GPR surveys were primarily acquired along the axes of blowouts and parabolic features, as well as crossing locations of previously reported OSL samples. The integration of previous work with the new subsurface GPR facies models, including paleosol interpretations, with surficial morphology using orthophotos and 3D models is designed to provide a more comprehensive geomorphic and palaeogeographic reconstruction. Early results suggest a complex vertical and shingled relationship exists between landforms with younger dunes climbing over older dune forms progressively to the southeast.
While data analysis and integration are ongoing, early outcomes show promising results. A complete analysis of surficial morphology and subsurface architecture will provide a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the dune field at times of stabilization that can be correlated to OSL absolute ages. Ultimately, this approach will be extrapolated from BT to surrounding tables in the WRB in an effort to elucidate the relationships between aeolian activity, climate, and local forcings.
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