In March 2026, Subproject D02 conducted an extensive field campaign in the Namib Desert. Site selection and sampling were guided by previously published data on Neogene sediments of the Namib Group, although modern geochronological constraints in the region remain limited.
Fieldwork focused on sampling sediment outcrops within major canyon systems to establish a robust chronological framework for canyon infill, calcrete formation, and incision processes. These records are expected to provide key insights into the progressive aridification of the Namib Desert, including phases of transgressive drying interrupted by more humid, fluvial periods. Principal study areas included the Kuiseb Canyon (building on initial findings from Ritter et al., 2023), the Tumas Basin, Gaub Canyon, Sesriem Canyon, and the Fish River Canyon.
Our methodological approach combines cosmogenic nuclide burial dating of quartz-bearing clasts with U-Pb LA-ICP-MS dating of authigenic cements such as calcretes and silcretes. The resulting geochronological dataset will be integrated with relative biostratigraphic constraints derived from ostrich eggshell remains. This multi-proxy framework aims to improve chronological precision and enable a detailed reconstruction of paleoclimate variability, as well as the identification of key drivers influencing landscape evolution in the Namib region.
Approximately 200 kg of samples were successfully transported to Cologne shortly after the field campaign. Sample preparation and laboratory analyses will take place over the coming months.
We gratefully acknowledge the support of Eugene Marais and Gillian Maggs-Kölling from the Gobabeb Research Station (https://gobabeb.org/) for their support and valuable scientific discussions, which are expected to contribute significantly to new insights into the evolution of the Namib Desert. We also thank the chairperson of the Canyon Nature Trust Len le Roux and his team for their support in the Fish River area and for facilitating future collaboration. Finally, we acknowledge the Namibian Geological Survey and the Ministry of Mines and Energy for their continued support.
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