Playa Lake Chains: The Example of the Yenyening Lakes of the Upper Avon River Catchment of Western Australia

The term “playa” or “pan” applies to individual arid zone basins of varying size and origin that are subject to ephemeral surface water flows (Shaw and Thomas, 1989) such that lakes may occur within playas as permanent or ephemeral features. Playas in Australia are often geologically young (Quaternary) features developed in arid environments and are often dry due to evaporation (Boggs et al., 2006). Although playas are a response to tectonics, climate change, and eolian and fluvial processes, the majority of the scientific literature considers either their origin within a regional context, or the development dynamics of individual playas (e.g., Bettenay, 1962). However, where playas are developed within paleodrainage channels, they may exist as isolated features, but more often they exhibit a degree of hydrological interconnectivity with other playas to form “playa chains” such that the development history of an individual playa cannot be addressed without consideration...