Late Quaternary evolution of a playa margin at Lake Frome, South Australia

Abstract

Playa margins are often characterised by a wide spectrum of landforms, which provide links between major lake stands, as recorded by beach ridges, and the detailed stratigraphic and paleoenvironmental information stored in lacustrine sediments. We mapped playa marginal geomorphology at Lake Frome, South Australia, documented the sedimentary characteristics, and analysed microfossil assemblages in selected sediments. Using a luminescence based approach, the sediments were summarised in four main stratigraphic units. During the later stages of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS)5 fluvio-deltaic sediments were deposited (Unit 1), indicating significant runoff from the adjacent Flinders Ranges into partl..