The Mallee Dunefield: development and sand provenance

Sands of the Mallee Dunefield, south-eastern Australia, are divided into two groups on the basis of physical and chemical characteristics. The first group is called the Lowan Sand, the second the Woorinen Formation. Evidence suggests derivation of sands from local bedrock, with very little aeolian transport. Ultimate protosources for the Lowan Sand lie dominantly to the west, while those for the Woorinen Formation lie to the north-east. Sands also include an additional ‘exotic’ component, probably derived mainly from Antarctica. Sediment transport from protosources to the sedimentary basins was dominantly by fluvial, not aeolian, means. Post-Tertiary aeolian transport has been minimal, serving only to form dunes by vertical corrasion of underlying sedimentary rocks.