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Journal of the Geological Society; March 2005; v. 162; no. 2; p. 315-321; DOI: 10.1144/0016-764903-120
© 2005 Geological Society of London
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Original Article

Combining ground penetrating radar surveys and optical dating to determine dune migration in Namibia

C.S. Bristow1, N. Lancaster2 and G.A.T. Duller3

1 1School of Earth Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, UK (e-mail: c.bristow@ucl.ac.uk)
2 2Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Parkway, Reno, NV89512, USA
3 3Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UK

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) profiles across a complex linear dune in the Namib Sand Sea have been used to image sets of cross-stratification and their bounding surfaces. A combination of radar facies analysis and radar stratigraphy has been used to interpret the radar profiles and define a relative chronology. Thick sets of cross-stratification indicate when the dune was most active, whereas thin sets of cross-stratification are interpreted to indicate the increased prevalence of wind reversals and lower rates of dune migration, with bounding surfaces formed during periods of stabilization, non-deposition or erosion. A drilling and dating campaign was designed on the basis of the dune stratigraphy as defined by the GPR survey. Sampling was targeted at large sets of cross-stratification formed when the dunes were most active, and avoiding bounding surfaces formed when the dune was stable or even eroded. The results from optical dating give ages between 0.34 ± 0.02 ka and 1.57 ± 0.07 ka, indicating a time-averaged dune migration rate of 0.12 m a–1 over the past 1600 years.

KEYWORDS: Holocene, Namib desert, GPR, OSL, stratigraphy, aeolian dune migration




This article has been cited by other articles:


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C.S. Bristow, G.A.T. Duller, and N. Lancaster
Age and dynamics of linear dunes in the Namib Desert
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[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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C.S. Bristow, B.G. Jones, G.C. Nanson, C. Hollands, M. Coleman, and D.M. Price
GPR surveys of vegetated linear dune stratigraphy in central Australia: Evidence for linear dune extension with vertical and lateral accretion
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M. Leopold, J. Volkel, and K. Heine
A ground-penetrating radar survey of late Holocene fluvial sediments in NW Namibian river valleys: characterization and comparison
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