Glacial age environments of inland Australia.

Abstract

Analysis of the array of fluvial, aeolian and lacustrine sediments and landforms of the Australian interior yields an account of environmental changes through the period of the Last Glacial cycle. Within the range of radiocarbon dating, this records two major events: a long period during which lakes in southern Australia were greatly expanded, followed by drying and accentuated aridity. Evidence from a closely dated sequence in the Willandra Lakes suggests that the expanded lacustral phase began about 50 000 BP, with an oscillation at 36 000 BP, associated with a brief phase of dune instability. Lake level oscillations of diminishing amplitude continued and came to an end about 20 000 BP, giving way to a period of extensive dune building. At this time the arid zone, as indicated by expanded areas of dune activity, extended polewards, producing longitudinal dunes even into northeastern Tasmania. -from Authors Show more