Morphological and sedimentary features of oblique zibars in the Kumtagh Desert of Northwestern China

Qian, Guangqiang; Dong, Zhibao; Zhang, Zhengcai; Luo, Wenhao; Lu, Junfeng; Yang, Zhuanling

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2014.10.026

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Consequently, based on our findings, Titan's interdunes may be composed of an armor layer of fine and coarser grains with respect to the dunes. Linear dunes made of finer grain hence propagate over a flat armor layer similarly to sand seas in Niger and China [Gao et al, 2016;Lucas et al, 2015;Qian et al, 2015;Ping et al, 2017]. This interpretation is therefore in good agreement with the elongating growth mechanism proposed by Lucas et al [2014a] under the current wind conditions accounting for equinoctial strong winds from either gusts and/or storms [Tokano, 2010;Charnay et al, 2015].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Texture and Composition of Titan's Equatorial Sand Seas Inferred From Cassini SAR Data: Implications for Aeolian Transport and Dune Morphodynamics

et al. 2019

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Sand seas on Titan may reflect the present and past climatic conditions. Understanding the morphodynamics and physico-chemical properties of Titan's dunes is therefore essential for a better comprehension of the climatic and geological history of the largest Saturn's moon. We derived quantitatively surface properties (texture, composition) from the modelling of microwave backscattered signal and Monte-Carlo inversion of despeckled Cassini/SAR data over sand sea. We show that dunes and interdunes have significantly different physical properties.Dunes are globally more microwave absorbent than the interdunes. The interdunes present multi-scale roughness with a higher dielectric constant than the dunes. Considering the composition, the interdunes are in between the dunes and the radar bright inselbergs, suggesting the presence of a shallow layer of non-mobilized sediment in between the dunes. Additionally potential secondary bedforms, such as ripples and avalanches, may have been detected. Our findings strongly suggest that sand seas evolve under current multi-directional wind regimes. Consequently sediment inventory and climatic conditions are being re-evaluated.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Texture and Composition of Titan's Equatorial Sand Seas Inferred From Cassini SAR Data: Implications for Aeolian Transport and Dune Morphodynamics

et al. 2019

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“…Comprehensive scientific expeditions into the Desert were not conducted until 2004 because of its harsh natural environment (E et al, 2006;Wang et al, 2009). There is currently ongoing debate amongst Chinese desert geomorphologists as to the definition and classification of the Desert's feather-like dune fields (Dong et al, 2008;Dong, 2009;Wang et al, 2009;Qu et al, 2011;Qian et al, 2015). Previous geomorphological studies in the Kumtagh Desert by Chinese scientists during the last decade have been selectively translated and reviewed by Dong and Lv (2014).…”

Section: Regional Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inverted relief landforms in the Kumtagh Desert of northwestern China: a mechanism to estimate wind erosion rates

Wang

Lai

2015

Geol. J.

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Although commonly found in deserts, our knowledge about inverted relief landforms is very limited. The so‐called ‘Gravel Body’ in the northern Kumtagh Desert is an example of an inverted relief landform created by the exhumation of a former fluvial gravel channel. The common occurrence of these landforms indicates that fluvial processes played an important role in shaping the Kumtagh Desert in the past 151 ka. A physical model is presented to reconstruct the palaeohydrology of these fluvial channels in terms of several measurable parameters including terrain slope, boulder size, and channel width. Combining the calculated palaeoflood depth, the maximal depth of channel bed eroded by wind, and the current height of inverted channels with the age of the aeolian sediments covered by gravels, the local wind erosion rate is estimated to be 0.21–0.28 mm/year. It is shown that wind erosion occurring in the Kumtagh Desert is no more severe than in adjacent regions. Since the modern Martian environment is very similar to that of hyperarid deserts on Earth, and Mars was once subjected to fluvial processes, this study will be helpful for understanding the origin of analogous Martian surface landforms and their causative processes. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Surface aeolian sands to a depth of 1 cm are generally considered to be the most active population in aeolian processes. The grain‐size characteristics of surface aeolian sands can therefore provide information on dune formation and development (Lancaster, 1995; Qian et al., 2015). Figure 5 shows variation in the grain‐size parameters of aeolian sands along the transects perpendicular to the crestlines.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Seasonal Wind Regimes on the Evolution of Reversing Barchanoid Dunes

et al. 2022

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Transitions in dune morphology reflect the complex effects of wind regimes and ground surface characteristics (e.g., dune morphology, vegetation cover, and moisture content) on aeolian transport dynamics (Lancaster, 1995;Wang et al., 2002;Yang et al., 2021;Zhang et al., 2020). Under a unidirectional wind regime, barchanoid and transverse dunes could be developed depending on the variation of sand availability. Longitudinal or oblique dunes are commonly found under bidirectional wind regimes (Rubin & Hunter, 1987). Under the influence of the East Asian monsoon system, near-surface wind strengths and directions are characterized by strong northwest winds in spring and winter, and weak southeast winds in summer. Notably, the seasonal alternation of wind regimes characterized by two winds that blow from opposite directions usually causes reversing dunes to form (McKee, 1979). When airflow reverses on barchanoid dunes, their crests move by reworking the lee side and generating a new slip face on stoss side. They then eventually reform into reversing barchanoid dunes (Gao et al., 2021;Jackson et al., 2020). Reversing dunes have been reported in various environments on Earth and other planets where dunes are shaped under the combined effect of two dominant winds responsible for frequent crest reversals (

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Morphological and sedimentary features of oblique zibars in the Kumtagh Desert of Northwestern China

Cited by 19 publications

References 29 publications

Texture and Composition of Titan's Equatorial Sand Seas Inferred From Cassini SAR Data: Implications for Aeolian Transport and Dune Morphodynamics

Texture and Composition of Titan's Equatorial Sand Seas Inferred From Cassini SAR Data: Implications for Aeolian Transport and Dune Morphodynamics

Inverted relief landforms in the Kumtagh Desert of northwestern China: a mechanism to estimate wind erosion rates

The Effects of Seasonal Wind Regimes on the Evolution of Reversing Barchanoid Dunes

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