Aeolian dust and superficial formations in the arid part of Yemen

Coque-Delhuille, Brigitte; Gentelle, Pierre

doi:10.1201/9781003077862-21

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Additional silts have been identified in marine sediments from offshore areas proximal to the western Sahara (Stuut et al, 2005) and Namibia (Eckardt et al, 2001; Stuut et al, 2002) and in soils and stone pavements in many arid regions (e.g., Cooke et al, 1993). Many desert loess deposits occur downwind of extensive dune areas or sand seas (Crouvi et al, 2010), for example, in Tunisia (Coudé-Gaussen and Rognon, 1988), Arabia (Nettleton and Chadwick, 1996; Coque-Delhuille and Gentelle, 1998; Goudie et al, 2000), and the Negev (Crouvi et al, 2008). However, desert loess is absent (e.g., Namibia, Australia) or unrecognized elsewhere.…”

Section: Occurrence and Distribution Of Desert Loessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Deposits of coarse silt have been identified in two areas of the Arabian Peninsula—northeastern parts of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Goudie et al, 2000) and eastern Yemen (Nettleton and Chadwick, 1996; Coque-Delhuille and Gentelle, 1998). In the Ras al-Khaimah area of the UAE, loess deposits occur adjacent to the Oman Mountains and are carbonate rich (mean 58.5 wt.…”

Section: Sedimentary and Geomorphic Evidence For Desert Loess Provenancementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

On the formation of desert loess

Lancaster

2020

Quat. res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Sequences of quartz-rich coarse (20−63 μm) silt occur in many low- and midlatitude unglaciated arid and semiarid areas and have been termed “desert loess.” The processes by which these deposits are generated have been debated for decades. All hypotheses to explain their origin seek to provide mechanisms for the generation of silt-sized material without glacial grinding, which is the main process involved in the production of coarse silt at high latitudes. Possible mechanisms for the formation of coarse silt in arid regions include derivation from preexisting siltstones, mechanical weathering of silicate rocks, and abrasion of sand grains in active dune environments during intense transport events. Examination of the characteristics of desert loess and field and laboratory experiments to assess the role of dune areas as a source of coarse silt by abrasion and/or resuspension of residual fines suggests that many loess sequences are dominated by locally derived coarse silt. Improvements in the characterization of desert loess particle size, mineralogy, and geochemistry are needed, however, to identify sources and sinks of coarse silt, especially when combined with climatic back-trajectory analysis. Properly scaled experiments and modeling of particle collisions will also help to better quantify the effectiveness of abrasion in the generation of coarse silt in support of field observations.

show abstract

Section: Occurrence and Distribution Of Desert Loessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sedimentary and Geomorphic Evidence For Desert Loess Provenancementioning

confidence: 99%

On the formation of desert loess

Lancaster

2020

Quat. res.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Holocene soils and sediments around Ma’rib Oasis, Yemen: Further Sabaean treasures?

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The ancient cultures of Southern Arabia are increasingly recognised as playing as major a role in the heritage of mankind as the early cultures of Egypt, Mesopotamia or the Indus Valley. The beginning of the widely known Sabaean culture dates back to the end of the second millennium bc. Whereas, undoubtedly, its wealth came mainly from the trade along the Incense Road, the backbone of its economy was irrigated agriculture. Since agriculture is based on soil and water resources and, hence, land availability, the buried soils and sediments of the area surrounding the Ma'rib Oasis have been investigated, both as an archive of Holocene soil development in Pre-Sabaean times and as 'natural treasures', as, for example, ores or alabaster are defined. The natural buried Holocene soils around Ma'rib are rich in phosphate, organic material and volcanic ashes. In a few places they demonstrate cultivation before the Great Dam of Ma'rib was built in the first millennium bc. Most important are those soils that formed during the Neolithic between 8000 and 3000 bc, a time before the permanent settlement of humans in the Bronze Age, and before the arrival of those of the early Sabaean period at the Ar-Rub' Al-Khali desert margin. Since the area surrounding the oasis shows a huge variety of landscapes, such as dune belts, volcanic fields with archaeological structures and different soils, it is worth accentuating the significance of Holocene soils as an important record or archive of land use. As well as classical soil analysis, AMS-14 C-datings, the results of phytolith analysis and geochemistry, including XRF data, have been taken into consideration.

show abstract