Monsoon triggered formation of Quaternary alluvial megafans in the interior of Oman

Remote sensing and GIS techniques for reconstructing Arabian palaeohydrology and identifying archaeological sites

“…The formation of large lakes suggests at least episodic activation of local fluvial systems. Evidence for this is provided by fluvial and alluvial fan deposits in southern Arabia dated to various humid phases (Blechschmidt et al, 2009;Mclaren et al, 2009;Parton et al, 2010;Rose et al, 2011;Atkinson et al, 2013;Parton et al, 2015a) and by incised relict drainage networks overlying Pliocene and Quaternary deposits across the peninsula (see Holm, 1960;Anton, 1984;Edgell, 2006;Blechschmidt et al, 2009).…”

“…However, in light of the unreliability of some early radiocarbon dating highlighted by recent studies (Rosenberg et al, 2011(Rosenberg et al, , 2013, and the identification of Pleistocene terraces in more minor drainage elsewhere re-evaluation of some of these dates may be needed, and further Pleistocene terraces, if identifiable, could provide valuable data. There are now a series of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and UraniumeThorium (U/Th) dates indicating that varying levels of fluvial activity have occurred in south-central Arabia during wetter intervals of the midelate Pleistocene (Maizels, 1987;Blechschmidt et al, 2009;Mclaren et al, 2009;Parton et al, 2010Parton et al, , 2013Rose et al, 2011;Sitzia et al, 2012;Atkinson et al, 2013;Parton et al, 2015a), and these provide valuable data on local catchment activity. Information from northern Arabia however, remains limited, and only one of the studies mentioned above is situated in a major trans-Arabian wadi.…”

Source provenance of carbonate grains in the Wahiba Sand Sea, Oman, using a new LIBS method

“…The dominant wind pattern in the Wahiba region is the Southwest Monsoon which peaks during the summer months (Miller and Keshavamurthy, 1968;Olson, 1990) and is believed to be the primary wind responsible for sand drift (Blechschmidt et al, 2009). The long-term importance of the southwest Monsoon to the eastern Arabian Peninsula and its relationship with climate change is well documented (Findlater, 1971;Fontugne and Duplessy, 1986;Prell and Van Campo, 1986;Fleitmann et al, 2007).…”

“…Even though studies have found high carbonate levels in coast area ranging from 16% to 36% (Goudie et al, 1987;Allison, 1988;Pease and Tchakerian, 2002), Garzanti et al (2003) examined the coastal sands in the Wahiba area and found high levels of limestone carbonate grains and chert indicating a Hawasina input. Blechschmidt et al (2009) conducted a detailed study of the wadi system channels and sediment compositions. Portions of Wadi Matam boarder the northwest side of the Wahiba and primarily drain basins in the Hawasina Nappe comprised of deep marine chert and limestone turbidites (Glennie, 1988;Hanna, 1995;Garzanti et al, 2002) along with some sub-basins in the Samail Ophiolite.…”

GV Annual Meeting 2009

“…Furthermore, spatial differences in aeolian deposition have been observed and are explained the lack of preservation potential (Preusser et al 2005). The aggradation of alluvial fans was controlled by both sediment production and later transport of sediments triggered by increased precipitation (Blechschmidt et al 2009). …”