摘要：QEMSCAN®, an automated scanning electron microscope, is used to provide a high-resolution analysis of eolian sands collected from Victoria Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. This technique provides a rapid, digital, quantitative morphological and mineralogical analysis of sediments, originally developed for the mining industry, which we apply for the first time to the study of eolian sand transport. Results show fine to medium-sized sands ( -1 (at 0.4 m), indicate preferential transport of quartz grains by these winds. Surface type was found to exhibit considerable influence over the characteristics of eolian sand transport with much larger grains carried in saltation and modified suspension above fluvio-glacial outwash surfaces than above sand dunes. Results illustrate the potential of QEMSCAN as an effective tool for multi-parameter analysis of eolian sands allowing greater insight into the controls on eolian sand transport in settings such as the Victoria Valley, Antarctica.
