Implications for sedimentary transport processes in southwestern Africa : a combined zircon morphology and age study including extensive geochronology databases.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
Extensive morphological and age studies on more than 4600 detrital zircon grains recovered from modern sands of Namibia
reveal complex mechanisms of sediment transport. These data are further supplemented by a zircon age database containing
more than 100,000 single grain analyses from the entire southern Africa and allow for hypothesising of a large Southern
Namibian Sediment Vortex located between the Damara Orogen and the Orange River in southern Namibia. The results of
this study also allow assuming a modifed model of the Orange River sand highway, whose origin is likely located further
south than previously expected. Moreover, studied samples from other parts of Namibia give frst insights into sediment
movements towards the interior of the continent and highlight the potential impact of very little spatial variations of erosion
rates. Finally, this study points out the huge potential of detrital zircon morphology and large geo-databases as an easy-touse additional tool for provenance analysis.
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Keywords
Namibia, Mineral morphology, Sediment transport
Citation
GÄRTNER, A. et al. Implications for sedimentary transport processes in southwestern Africa: a combined zircon morphology and age study including extensive geochronology databases. International Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 111, p. 767-788, 2022. Disponível em: <https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00531-021-02146-1>. Acesso em: 15 mar. 2023.