The Mallee Dunefield: development and sand provenance

Sands of the Mallee Dunefield, south-eastern Australia, are divided into tw o groups on the basis of physical and chemical characteristics. The first g roup is called the Lowan Sand, the second the Woorinen Formation. Evidence suggests derivation of sands from local bedrock, with very little aeolian t ransport. Ultimate protosources for the Lowan Sand lie dominantly to the we st, while those for the Woorinen Formation lie to the north-east. Sands als o include an additional 'exotic' component, probably derived mainly from An tarctica. Sediment transport from protosources to the sedimentary basins wa s dominantly by fluvial, not aeolian, means. Post-Tertiary aeolian transpor t has been minimal, serving only to form dunes by vertical corrasion of und erlying sedimentary rocks. (C) Academic Press.