Implications for sedimentary transport processes in southwestern Africa: a combined zircon morphology and age study including extensive geochronology databases

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Andreas Gärtner - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)
  • Mandy Hofmann - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)
  • Johannes Zieger - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)
  • Anja Sagawe - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)
  • Rita Krause - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)
  • Marika Stutzriemer - , Heisenberg Chair of Physical Geography with a Focus on Paleoenvironmental Research (Author)
  • Subani Gesang - , TUD Dresden University of Technology (Author)
  • Axel Gerdes - , Goethe University Frankfurt a.M. (Author)
  • Linda Marko - , Goethe University Frankfurt a.M. (Author)
  • Cristiano Lana - , Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto (Author)
  • Ulf Linnemann - , Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (Author)

Abstract

Extensive morphological and age studies on more than 4600 detrital zircon grains recovered from modern sands of Namibia reveal complex mechanisms of sediment transport. These data are further supplemented by a zircon age database containing more than 100,000 single grain analyses from the entire southern Africa and allow for hypothesising of a large Southern Namibian Sediment Vortex located between the Damara Orogen and the Orange River in southern Namibia. The results of this study also allow assuming a modified model of the Orange River sand highway, whose origin is likely located further south than previously expected. Moreover, studied samples from other parts of Namibia give first insights into sediment movements towards the interior of the continent and highlight the potential impact of very little spatial variations of erosion rates. Finally, this study points out the huge potential of detrital zircon morphology and large geo-databases as an easy-to-use additional tool for provenance analysis.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)767-788
Number of pages22
JournalInternational journal of earth sciences
Volume111
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Database, Geochronology, Mineral morphology, Namibia, Sediment transport, Zircon