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Evidence of Active Dune Sand on the Great Plains in the 19th Century from Accounts of Early Explorers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Daniel R. Muhs  and
Vance T. Holliday
Daniel R. Muhs
Affiliation:
U.S. Geological Survey, MS 974, Box 25046, Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225
Vance T. Holliday
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Science Hall, 550 North Park Street, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706
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Abstract

Eolian sand is extensive over the Great Plains of North America, but is at present mostly stabilized by vegetation. Accounts published by early explorers, however, indicate that at least parts of dune fields in Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas were active in the 19th century. Based on an index of dune mobility and a regional tree-ring record, the probable causes for these periods of greater eolian activity are droughts, accompanied by higher temperatures, which greatly lowered the precipitation-to-evapotranspiration ratio and diminished the cover of stabilizing vegetation. In addition, observations by several explorers, and previous historical studies, indicate that rivers upwind of Great Plains dune fields had shallow, braided, sandy channels, as well as intermittent flow in the 19th century. Wide, braided, sandy rivers that were frequently dry would have increased sand supplies to active dune fields. We conclude that dune fields in the Great Plains are extremely sensitive to climate change and that the potential for reactivation of stabilized dunes in the future is high, with or without greenhouse warming.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , March 1995 , pp. 198 - 208
Copyright
University of Washington

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