Textural characteristics and genesis of the aeolian sediments in the Kuwaiti desert

Abstract

Several types of aeolian deposits have been recognized in Kuwait: (a) smooth sand sheets that resemble desert floor sand, (b) immobile sands that include rugged vegetated sand sheets and wadi fill deposits, and (c) mobile sands that form active sand sheets and sand dunes. Simple size frequency curves illustrate the genetic relationship between the various aeolian sediment types. The four size parameters, namely, mean size, sorting, skewness and kurtosis, were calculated. Scatter plot diagrams of sorting versus mean size and sorting versus kurtosis are effective in differentiating smooth sand sheet deposits from dune sands. Active sand sheet deposits can also be recognized because they are usually located between the two end members–smooth sand sheets and dune sands. Size parameters change with location regardless of their types. Coarsening and positive skewness usually increase downwind. Mineralogical and textural characteristics of the aeolian deposits in Kuwait revealed that they are mostly derived from the lower Mesopotamian muddy flood plain deposits, the sand fraction of the Al‐Dibdibba gravelly deposits and the disintegrated material from calcretic and gypcretic duricrusts. Distribution of depositional and deflational areas indicates that the northern desert of Kuwait is characterized by a positive sand budget, whereas the southern desert has a negative sand budget.

Sedimentological, modal analysis and geochemical studies of desert and coastal dunes, Altar Desert, NW Mexico

“…Quartz percentages are similar to those found in the Libyan Desert, the Saudi Arabian Desert and the Kuwaiti Desert (Mizutani and Suwa, 1966;Anton, 1983;Khalaf, 1989). The average data plotted in a Qt-FtLt ternary diagram with the standard deviation polygons show that the San Luis Río Colorado and the El Pinacate desert dune sands have a wider dispersion towards the Qt and Lt poles (Figure 3).…”

“…It could also be due to the fact that the El Pinacate dune field is farther from the source, which allows for longer aeolian transport and better sorting of the sands. The unimodal character of the skewness and kurtosis values shows that the sands are produced by only one sediment source (Khalaf, 1989).…”

Textural variations within different representative types of dune sediments in Kuwait

“…The variations in textural characteristics of dune type within the same dune field in Kuwait are studied by Khalaf (1989) and Al-Dousari and Pye (2005). It is well noted from these studies that variations in statistical parameters of the same dune type sediments across the dune field (taking in consideration the time factor) in Kuwait is limited.…”

“…The variations in textural characteristics of dunes in Kuwait are studied by Khalaf (1989), Khalaf et al (1995), Al-Enezi (2001), and Al-Dousari and Pye (2005). However, statistical parameter variations over the dune body of Fig.…”

Mineralogy, geochemistry and possible provenance of desert sand dunes from western Rub' al Khali area, southeastern Saudi Arabia

“…Grain size variations in coastal and desert dune sands have been widely used to infer transport and depositional mechanisms [9,10]. For example, size coarsening of the dune sands may be due to wind deflation of fine grains leaving behind the coarse fraction in the sands [11]. It has been also observed that moderately to poorly sorted dune sands occur with short transport from the source of sediments to the dune systems [12].…”