Holocene evolution of parabolic dunes, White River Badlands, South Dakota, USA, revealed by high-resolution mapping

Abstract

The White River Badlands (WRB) of South Dakota record eolian activity spanning the late Pleistocene through the latest Holocene (21 ka to modern), reflecting the effects of the last glacial period and Holocene climate fluctuations (Holocene Thermal Maximum, Medieval Climate Anomaly, and Little Ice Age). The WRB dune fields are important paleoclimate indicators in an area of the Great Plains with few climate proxies. The goal of this study is to use 1 m/pixel-resolution digital elevation models from drone imagery to distinguish Early to Middle Holocene parabolic dunes from Late Holocene parabolic dunes. Results indicate that relative ages of dunes are distinguished by slope and roughness (terrain ruggedness index). Morphological differences are attributed to postdepositional wind erosion, soil formation, and mass wasting. Early to Middle Holocene and Late Holocene paleowind directions, 324°± 13.1° (N = 7) and 323° ± 3.0° (N = 19), respectively, are similar to the modern wind regime. Results suggest significant landscape resilience to wind erosion, which resulted in preservation of a mosaic of Early and Late Holocene parabolic dunes. Quantification of dune characteristics will help refine the chronology of eolian activity in the WRB, provide insight into drought-driven landscape evolution, and integrate WRB eolian activity in a regional paleoenvironmental context.

Introduction to Thematic Set: Aeolian Processes, Landforms and Chronologies

“…Although there is an extensive dataset of OSL chronologies for dune systems in the Great Plains, it is not feasible to date every dune morphological unit. Baldauf et al (2023) use high-resolution digital elevation models from drone imagery to develop a relative chronology of parabolic dune generations in dune fields in the White River Badlands of South Dakota. Early to Middle Holocene parabolic dunes can be distinguished from Late Holocene parabolic dunes on the basis of slope and roughness (as measured by the terrain ruggedness index).…”