Widespread late Quaternary aridity in Western Australia

Abstract

UNTIL recently the only conclusive evidence of extended arid conditions during the late Wisconsin over the western part of the Australian continent, was largely provided by the submerged dunes of the Fitzroy estuary1,2. This evidence has been used to support the concept of global tropical aridity during the late Quaternary3. From a study of the late Quaternary sediments of the coastal areas of Western Australia, however, it has become apparent that stable dune fields and sand sheets of late Quaternary age are found throughout this region (Fig. 1).