40 Aeolian Systems in Time and Space

This session explores research focused on all aspects of aeolian processes and landforms, including dunes, dust, and loess in modern and ancient aeolian systems on Earth and other planets.

Sunday, 19 October 2025
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, 212AB

Chronology of Dune Fields on Earth and Beyond

Paper number: 40-6
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:50 PM – 3:05 PM

Authors

  • Alana Archbold Presenting Author
    University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
  • Mackenzie Day
    University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
  • Jessica Ye
    University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Abstract

Dune field patterns emerge from the evolution and interactions of migrating dunes. As dunes migrate, they self-organize into patterns characterized by defect density, crestline orientation, crestline length, and wavelength. Studying the development of these morphologies has been a useful tool for understanding the statistical relationship between patterns and the age of dune fields. Previous studies leveraged numerical models and field data to identify exponential and logarithmic relationships between dune wavelength and time, however few efforts have been made to combine these methods over long timescales. This project integrates satellite images, wind data, field work, and modeling to better constrain the relationship between dune crest spacing and dune field age. Our approach has three components: 1) remote sensing of dune fields, 2) field data collection, and 3) integrating field measurements with a numerical model. We measured migration rates and wavelengths of select dune fields with repeat coverage of satellite images and calculated wind intermittency, the percent of time that wind is above threshold velocity, by combining grain size analysis from literature with historic wind data. We chose Mesquite Flat Dunes in Death Valley National Park, California, as our field site for its clear transition from barchan dunes to transverse dunes, allowing us to study the early development of wavelengths. For wind intermittency calculations, we placed two weather stations at the study site for wind data collection, and we sampled sediment for grain size and density analysis. Our dune migration measurements are taken with a differential GPS to periodically trace the dune crestlines at centimeter-scale accuracy. We are using the Real-Space Cellular Automaton Laboratory (ReSCAL), a model based in sediment transport physics, to simulate the dune field evolution of our field site, particularly its transition from barchan to transverse dunes. By focusing on the emerging transverse dunes, we can estimate a minimum age for the dune field and establish length and time values in the nondimensional model with ratios to our measurements. These values will enable us to calculate equivalent unit ratios for mature dune fields observed in satellite imagery. We continue to periodically trace the dune crests at Mesquite Flat and will include data from Mars, Venus, and Titan into our model to support the investigation of planetary dune fields through this adaptable framework.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-413085

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