Implications for sedimentary transport processes in southwestern Africa: a combined zircon morphology and age study including extensive geochronology databases

Abstract Extensive morphological and age studies on more than 4600 detrital zircon grains recovered from modern sands of Namibia reveal complex mechanisms sediment transport. These data are further supplemented by a database containing 100,000 single grain analyses the entire southern Africa allow for hypothesising large Southern Namibian Sediment Vortex located between Damara Orogen Orange River in Namibia. The results this study also assuming modified model sand highway, whose origin is likely south previously expected. Moreover, studied samples other parts give first insights into movements towards interior continent highlight potential impact very little spatial variations erosion rates. Finally, points out huge morphology geo-databases as an easy-to-use additional tool provenance analysis.