Database Structure

Attributes for each sample location will include the following:

General:

UIN: - A three-character regional code (AUS=Australia, AFS=South Africa, AFN=North Africa, NAM=North America, IND=India, CHN=China, EAM=Eastern Mediterranean, ARB=Arabia, EUR=Europe, ANA=Antarctica, SAM=South America, CAR=Central Asia and Russia), followed by five-digit numeric entry of reference number starting with 00001. (e.g. LAUS00001, RAUS00001) followed by one character for dating method (e.g. L for luminescence and R for radiocarbon).
REGION: three-character abbreviated region name as per UIN (AUS, AFS, AFN, NAM, IND, CHN, EAM, ARB, EUR, ANA, SAM, CAR)
COUNTRY: - country name (e.g. Australia).
DUNEFIELD: formal name for dunefield or designated by user if necessary (e.g. Gran Desierto ; Great Sand Hills)

Context:

DEPTYPE: type of deposit (dune, sandsheet)
DEPCON: deposit context (dunefield, sandsheet, isolated dune)
GEOMMOD: geomorphic modifier (coastal lakeshore, coastal marine, obstacle, lakefloor, fluvial source-bordering, sand ramp, na)
MORPH: dune morphology (parabolic, blowout, sandsheet, transverse, linear, barchan, star, nebkha, lunette, network, zibar, sand ramp, foredune, sandwedge, cliff-top, na)

Stratigraphy:

LAT: latitude in decimal degrees
LONG: longitude in decimal degrees
SITENAME: site location name as cited in reference
SITETYPE: sample method (pit, core, natural section, artificial section, na)
DEPTHICK: deposit thickness in meters
SAMPDEPTH: sample depth in metres
STRATUNIT: stratigraphic unit as described in reference
MATDATED : type of material dated: (sand, shell, bone, palaeosol, charcoal, detrital organics, peat, wood)
DEPSTATE: deposit state (A = accumulating or S = stable)
DUNEDIR: dune trend from reference, if given, in degrees

Comprehensive data will be added from published information on all ages determined by luminescence or other methods.

Luminescence Dates:

LABID: laboratory identification number. Some ages may not have a lab number that uniquely identifies that laboratory used, but only a sample number, in which case this should be used.
CAT: numeric entry: category ranking based on data supporting luminescence age (1, 2, 3, 4). Where 1 is least complete and 4 is most complete.
LUMAGE:: reported age in years
LUMERR: one-sigma uncertainty in years
LUMTYPE: luminescence type (TL, OSL, IRSL)
MINERAL: mineral dated (Q, F, PM, na) Note: PM is poly-mineralic.
GRAINSIZE:grain size dated; coarse (greater than 11 microns), fine (less than 11 microns; na)
PROTOCOL: dating protocol used: MAAD; MAR; SAAD; SARA; SAR; SGR; SGC; na).
CORRECTION: (anomalous fading, or others if any, or na)
AFRATE: anomalous fading rate used for feldspar ages as percent per decade (or -999)
AFERROR: anomalous fading rate error as percent per decade (or -999)
PREHEAT: pre-heat plateau (Y, N)
NALIQUOTS: number of aliquots used in dating (value or -999)
EQUIVDOSE: equivalent dose in Gy (or -999).
EDERR: equivalent dose error in Gy (or -999)
DOSERATE: dose rate in Gy/year (or -999)
DRERR: dose rate error in Gy/year (or -999)
COSDOSRATE: cosmic dose rate in Gy/year
COSROSERR: cosmic dose rate error in Gy/year
K2O: potassium content in weight percent (%)
K2OERR: potassium content error in percent (%).
TH: thorium content in ppm
THERR: thorium content error in ppm
U: uranium content in ppm
UERRuranium content error in ppm
H20: water content in weight percent (%) (i.e grams H2O / grams soil).
H20ERR: water content error in percent (%) by mass.
DRMETHOD: dose rate method: (field, lab, field and lab, na)
DOSERECOV: dose recovery test for SAR ages only (Y,N, na).
AGEMODEL: age model used for SAR and SGC ages only (mean, minimum, finite mixture, central age model, na).
LUMREFID: unique luminescence reference identification number with five characters and four digits. e.g. RAUSL0001, where R = reference, followed by the three-character regional code (e.g. AUS=Australia), and a four-digit numeric entry reference number starting with 0001, and L = luminescence.

Radiocarbon Dates:

LABID: laboratory identification number (na if no Lab Number given)
CAT: category ranking based on data supporting luminescence age (1, 2, 3, 4). Where 1 is most complete and 4 is least. Refer to checklist.
RCAGE: reported age in years BP
RCERR: one-sigma uncertainty in years BP (-999 if no uncertainty given)
CALSET: calibration dataset used. Recommended calibration dataset is CalPal2007
ACCESSDATE: - date of access, or date of download, of calibration program used to calibration radiocarbon ages. Access date is reported as DD-MM-YYYY
RCCALAGE: calibrated radiocarbon age reported in cal years BP
RCCALERR: age uncertainty at one-sigma (68%) reported in cal years BP
METHOD: dating method used (AMS, conventional)
DELC13: Delta C-13 value ‰ (e.g -19, or -999)
PRETREAT: pre-treatment if any
CORRECTIONS: corrections if any (marine reservoir, delC13)
RCREFID: unique radiocarbon reference identification number with five characters and four digits. e.g. RAUSR0001, where R = reference, followed by the three-character regional code (e.g. AUS=Australia), and a four-digit numeric entry reference number starting with 0001, followed by R = radiocarbon.

The full reference source will be provided by the regional champion in a spreadsheet (NAMLUMREF) linking the reference source to the unique RCREFID. References will be written in the format protocol of Elsevier, Quaternary Science Reviews.

It is realized that additional dating techniques (e.g. tephra) may be relevant now or in the future. We will add fields for these data as needed.

Each age will be assigned a confidence level, based on the level of detail published in association with an age; they are not an assessment of the inferred accuracy of the ages.

Luminescence

Category 1
LAT and LONG entered into database
AGE: reported in years

Category 2 (plus)
DEPTH: depth of sample in metres
LABNUM: laboratory identification number
ERROR: one-sigma uncertainty in years
LUMINTYPE: luminescence type

Category 3 (plus)
MINERAL: mineral dated
GRAINSIZE: grain size dated
PROTOCOL: dating protocol used
CORRECTION: corrections reported
AFRATE: anomalous fading rate for feldspars reported
PREHEAT: pre-heat test conducted
NALIQUOTS: number of aliquots provided
EQUIVDOSE: equivalent dose provided
DOSERATE: dose rate provided
COSDOSRATE: cosmic dose rate provided
K2O: potassium content provided
TH: thorium content provided
U: uranium content provided
H20: water content provided
DRMETHOD: dose rate method reported

Category 4 (plus)
SAR, SGR and SGC techniques with quality control
DOSERECOV: dose recovery test conducted
AGEMODEL: age model used reported
AFERROR: anomalous fading rate error reported
EDERR: equivalent dose error provided
DRERR: dose rate error provided
COSDOSERR: cosmic dose rate error provided
K2OERR: potassium content error provided
THERR: thorium content error provided
UERR: uranium content error provided
H20ERR: water content error provided

Radiocarbon

Category 1:
LAT and LONG entered into database
RCAGE: reported in years BP
RCERR: reported in years BP
MATDATED: (shell, bone, palaeosol, charcoal, detrital organics, peat, wood)

Category 2 (plus):
DEPTH: depth of sample in metres
METHOD: AMS or conventional is known
LABNUM: laboratory identification number

Category 3 (plus):
DELC13: Delta C-13 value determined
PRETREAT: pre-treatments reported
CORRECTIONS: corrections (delC13, reservoir corrections) made if necessary

Base imagery

Currently we use Landsat mosaics from the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF). These are MrSID files that are highly compressed, but have an adequate spatial resolution for on-screen digitizing of aeolian deposits.

Click image for enlargement

MrSID images of Kelso Dunes, Mojave Desert, CA

Dune polygons

Can be digitized on-screen or imported from existing data

Polygon representing dune areas in the Sinai desert. Image by Haim Tsoar. Click for enlargement.

Dune area in Death Valley delineated on image data. Click image for enlargement.

Published map (Lancaster, 1998) of Namib Sand Sea. Click image for enlargement.