Imaging deep palaeosols with ground-penetrating radar – initial insights from the Grande Dune de Pilat (Pyla), SW France

PreviousNext No Access18th International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, Golden, Colorado, 14–19 June 2020Imaging deep palaeosols with ground-penetrating radar – initial insights from the Grande Dune de Pilat (Pyla), SW FranceAuthors: Dominic I. TatumJan FranckeDominic I. TatumInstitute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, United KingdomSearch for more papers by this author and Jan FranckeGroundradar Inc., CanadaSearch for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.1190/gpr2020-075.1 SectionsAboutPDF/ePub ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Abstract Four significant ancient soil horizons (palaeosols) can be mapped across the contemporary surface of the largest dune in Europe, the Dune du Pilat in SW France. These palaeosols represent distinct periods of dune stability when vegetation could grow and soils form. Extensively studied by previous authors, the ages of the individual horizons have been determined by radiocarbon dating, optically stimulated luminescence, palynological analysis and historical observation, dating these events between ca. 3,800 years before present for the oldest, to 1863 for the most recent. To date, understanding of the extent and spatial distribution of these surfaces has been limited to surface observations. A recent survey using deep-imaging ground penetrating radar (GPR) has successfully imaged these palaeosols to a depth of 95 m, revealing their subsurface nature for the first time. These data may be used to better understand the development of this coastline, giving insight to coastal erosion processes and timings for local dune migration. This paper presents initial results and discusses preliminary findings of this survey. Keywords: reflectivity, imaging, sediment, GPRPermalink: https://doi.org/10.1190/gpr2020-075.1FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 18th International Conference on Ground Penetrating Radar, Golden, Colorado, 14–19 June 2020ISSN (online):2159-6832Copyright: 2020 Pages: 455 publication data© 2020 Published in electronic format with permission by the Society of Exploration GeophysicistsPublisher:Society of Exploration Geophysicists HistoryPublished Online: 11 Nov 2020 CITATION INFORMATION Dominic I. Tatum and Jan Francke, (2020), "Imaging deep palaeosols with ground-penetrating radar – initial insights from the Grande Dune de Pilat (Pyla), SW France," SEG Global Meeting Abstracts : 283-286. https://doi.org/10.1190/gpr2020-075.1 Plain-Language Summary KeywordsreflectivityimagingsedimentGPRPDF DownloadLoading ...