Implications for sedimentary transport processes in southwestern Africa: a combined zircon morphology and age study including extensive geochronology databases
Hofmann, Mandy
Zieger, Johannes
Sagawe, Anja
Krause, Rita
Stutzriemer, Marika
Gesang, Subani
Gerdes, Axel
Marko, Linda
Lana, Cristiano
Linnemann, Ulf
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-021-02146-1
Persistent URL: http://resolver.sub.uni-goettingen.de/purl?gldocs-11858/10953
Hofmann, Mandy; GeoPlasmaLab, Museum Für Mineralogie Und Geologie, Sektion Geochronologie, Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Zieger, Johannes; GeoPlasmaLab, Museum Für Mineralogie Und Geologie, Sektion Geochronologie, Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Sagawe, Anja; GeoPlasmaLab, Museum Für Mineralogie Und Geologie, Sektion Geochronologie, Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Krause, Rita; GeoPlasmaLab, Museum Für Mineralogie Und Geologie, Sektion Geochronologie, Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Stutzriemer, Marika; TU Dresden, Fakultät Umweltwissenschaften, Institut Für Geographie, Dresden, Germany
Gesang, Subani; TU Dresden, Fakultät Umweltwissenschaften, Institut Für Geographie, Dresden, Germany
Gerdes, Axel; Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Marko, Linda; Frankfurt Isotope and Element Research Center (FIERCE), Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Lana, Cristiano; Departamento de Geologia, Escola de Minas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Morro Do Cruzeiro, Ouro Prêto, Brazil
Linnemann, Ulf; GeoPlasmaLab, Museum Für Mineralogie Und Geologie, Sektion Geochronologie, Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlungen Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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 modified 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 first 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-to-use additional tool for provenance analysis.