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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms pp 1–3Cite as

Dune Apron

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Definition

Thin marginal sand deposit around a sand dune.

Synonyms

Apron; Extradune; Marginal sand apron; Plinth

Description

Apron is a general term that refers to any sand deposit on the margins of a dune or dune field (Fig. 1). In individual barchanoid dunes, the apron is usually located just beyond the base of the slip face and often merges with sandy interdunes (Nielson and Kocurek 1987). In larger dune fields, the apron can be present as a sandy deposit around the exterior, which can either feather out into the surrounding terrain or be limited by fluvial features (Norris and Norris 1961; Nielson and Kocurek 1987). They are sometimes called extradune: area marginal to dune field which contains sediments of the same age and source as the dunes (Glenn 1979). Where the apron appears to form a base for a complex dune, it is also synonymous with plinth (Lancaster 1989). On Mars, large complex dunes and smaller individual dunes can be fully or partially surrounded by a dark,...

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References

  • Buckler WR (1979) Dune type inventory and barrier dune classification study of Michigan’s Lake Michigan shore. Geological survey division report of investigation 23, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

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  • Horgan B, Bell JF III (2012) Seasonally active slipface avalanches in the north polar sand sea of Mars: evidence for a wind-related origin. Geophys Res Lett 39(9):09201. doi:10.1029/2012GL051329

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, 550 Stadium Mall Dr., West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA

    Briony Horgan

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  1. Briony Horgan
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Correspondence to Briony Horgan .

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Horgan, B. (2014). Dune Apron. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_124-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_124-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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