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New optically stimulated luminescence ages provide evidence of MIS3 and MIS2 eolian activity on Black Mesa, northeastern Arizona, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Amy L. Ellwein ,
Shannon A. Mahan  and
Leslie D. McFadden
Amy L. Ellwein*
Affiliation:
Western State College of Colorado, Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Gunnison, CO, USA
Shannon A. Mahan
Affiliation:
US Geological Survey, Denver Federal Center, MS 974, Lakewood, CO, USA
Leslie D. McFadden
Affiliation:
The University of New Mexico, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Albuquerque, NM, USA
*
⁎Corresponding author. Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, 224 Hurst Hall, Western State College of Colorado, Gunnison, CO 81231, USA. Fax: +1 970 943 7120.
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Abstract

Eolian deposition on the semiarid southern Colorado Plateau has been attributed to episodic aridity during the Quaternary Period. However, OSL ages from three topographically controlled (e.g. falling) dunes on Black Mesa in northeastern Arizona indicate that eolian sediments there were deposited in deep tributary valleys as early as 35–30 ka, with most sand deposited before 20 ka. In contrast, the oldest OSL ages for sand sheets fall within the Pleistocene-Holocene climatic transition (~ 12–8 ka). Thus most eolian sediment accumulated on Black Mesa under climatic conditions that were in general cooler, moister, and more variable than today, not more arid, pointing to a considerable increase in sediment supply.

Keywords

Soil stratigraphyEolian geomorphologyFalling dunesLinear dunesSand rampsBlack MesaOSL geochronology
Type
Short Paper
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 75 , Issue 3 , May 2011 , pp. 395 - 398
Copyright
University of Washington

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