The formation of the Namib Sand Sea inferred from the spatial pattern of magnetic rock fragments

- We analyzed the spatial pattern of the magnetic sand fraction in the Namib Sand Sea.
- Statistical uniformity of this fraction suggests sand mixing prior to dune formation.
- Pattern indicates Orange River catchment as stable source for the magnetic fraction.
- Sand mixing mainly under high current regime in the Orange delta system.
- The effect of eolian transport on the sand composition in the Sand Sea is negligible.

The Namib Sand Sea on the west coast of Namibia is one of the world's oldest desert region and based on cosmogenic dating it has likely existed since the earlier Pleistocene. Among the possible sand sources, geomorphological and petrographic evidence points towards the Orange River catchment as the most prominent one. Little is known about the dynamics of transport and mixing of the sand during the desert formation and this is because the information about the Namib Sand Sea generally rests upon study sites at its edges. Here, we present a statistical analysis of magnetic components in sand samples collected along a south to north transect through the desert and at two inland sites. The magnetic components are rock fragments mainly of basaltic origin. Their statistically uniform distribution in the Namib Sand Sea indicates no significant sand source other than the Orange River and thus a predominant northward direction of the sand transport. A northward transport and the absence of a magnetic trend along the transect suggests mixing of the sand prior to its deposition in the Namib Sand Sea, most likely during river transport and under high current conditions along the shoreline. Finally, the uniform magnetic pattern provides compelling evidence for a stable erosion regime in the Orange River catchment with a steady release of magnetic components at least since the Pleistocene.