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Background

Despite their significance and wide geographical extent, there is no complete and geographically accurate global map of desert and other dune fields, although the location and general extent of individual sand seas and dune fields are depicted in many publications. Prior comprehensive works include the USGS Global Sand Seas project, which provides information on many inland dune fields and seas (Breed et al., 1979; McKee, 1979), but concentrates on low- and some mid-latitude regions. Dune fields in the United States were mapped by Smith (1982), and Muhs and Zárate (2001) provide a recent synthesis of Quaternary activity. Chinese dunefields are mapped by Wang et al., (2005) and their compilation is available in digital form. Recently, the Canadian Geological Survey has undertaken mapping of dunefields in Canada using GIS technology (Wolfe, 2006), compiling a database that includes chronologic information for periods of dune activity and stability.

Understanding the history of sand seas and dunes has been revolutionized in recent years by the application of luminescence techniques to directly date periods of dune formation and/or reactivation (Stokes, 1997). An increasing number of local and regional studies has taken place in recent years, so providing the possibility to develop regional (Swezey, 2001) and multi-regional chronologies of periods of dune formation (Munyikwa, 2005).