Figure 10    Alluvial desert pavements of varying age in the drylands of western USA (left panel) and optical varnish microstratigraphies from these pavement surfaces (right panel). VML age estimates are based on our preliminary layering pattern interpretations and the varnish age scale given in Figs. 4 and 6. White arrows identify the varnish sampling sites on the pavements. Note that the desert pavement in the Cima volcanic field was cosmogenically ³He dated at 80 ± 10 and 85 ± 9 ka (Wells et al., 1995). These ages are in good agreement with our VML age estimate of 74 - 85 ka for the pavement. Desert bushes in (A), (C), and (E) are for scale.