1. Grain Shape Evolution of Sand‐Sized Sediments During Transport From Mountains to Dune Fields.
- Author
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Liang, Peng and Yang, Xiaoping
- Subjects
SAND dunes ,ALLUVIUM ,PARTICLE size distribution ,WATERSHEDS ,SEDIMENT transport ,PALEOENVIRONMENTAL studies ,IMAGE analysis ,RIVER sediments - Abstract
Grain shape is used less frequently in identifying the origin of sediments than grain size distributions and/or surface microtextures because of technological limitations. In addition, systematic studies on grain shape change of sand‐sized sediments from a source‐to‐sink perspective are lacking, and yet the evolutionary mechanism of grain shape along the sediment transport pathway remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated grain shape changes in sand‐sized sediments ranging from mountains to dune fields using an efficient and quantitative dynamic image analysis technique. By means of the detailed hydro‐geomorphic analysis and field sampling in a quasi‐closed sedimentary system, we collected 41 samples from the Hulunbeier Sandy Land (HSL) in northern China and its potential source region. Also, 21 typical fluvial deposit samples from different river systems in China were collected for comparison. We identify that the sphericity, symmetry, aspect ratio, and mineralogical maturity of the fluvial deposits from mountains are significantly lower than the eolian sand in dune fields. Despite the apparent inheritance of sediments from the mountains to the dune fields, the abrupt changes in the sedimentological and geochemical properties along their pathway suggest that multiple cycles of eolian abrasion within the HSL modify the sediments significantly after they are transported away from the fluvial environments. The well‐defined separation between eolian sand and fluvial deposits by grain shape parameters such as sphericity and symmetry underscores that grain shape can be a powerful tool for tracing sediment transport history in paleoenvironmental or extraterrestrial studies. Plain Language Summary: The shape, size, and surface morphology of sand grains are important for understanding the traveling story of the grain. This study focuses on the shape and geochemical composition changes of the sand grains from the Great Khingan Mountains to the Hulunbeier Sandy Land (HSL) in northern China. We measured the grain shape of each sample by capturing the images of millions of individual grains using high‐frame‐rate cameras and image analysis techniques. We found that the windblown sand is more spherical than the river sand in the mountains. This obvious difference can be used to clarify the traveling history of grains with unknown origins. The abrupt shift of both grain shape and geochemical compositions between river sand and windblown sand along the sediment traveling pathway indicates that the windblown sand in the HSL experienced a long period of wind modifications. Elongated particles and soft minerals, such as feldspars, were rounded and/or reduced in size, while more spherical and harder particles, such as quartz, were enriched in dune fields. Key Points: Repeated eolian abrasion in dune fields significantly increases dune sand's grain sphericity, symmetry, and geochemical maturityQuantitative grain shape data can be a powerful tool for tracing sediment transport history and identifying sediments of unknown originsGrain shape is difficult to differentiate the depositional environments in areas where eolian‐fluvial interactions dominate [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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