The difference between these two types of dunes involves the smallest levels
of crossbedding.
"All the basic types of stratification found in dry windblown sand can also
be found in water-laid sands. As far as is known, eolian and subaqueous
planebed lamination cannot be distinguished by their structural
characteristics, nor can eolian and subaqueous grainfall lamination. Eolian
and subaqueous sandflow cross-strata of small slipfaces show some fairly
consistent difference, but the differences between eolian and subaqueous
climbing-ripple structures are even more distinct. The subcritically
climbing translatent strata produced by subaqueous current ripples generally
have distinct ripple-foreset crosslamination and are normally graded; both
of these featrues re evidently produced by miniature sandflows down the lee
slopes of the ripples. Other differences between eolian and subaqueous
climbing-ripple structures are related to differences in the
height-to-spacing ratios and plan forms of the ripples." ~Ralph E. Hunter,
"Basic Types of Stratification in Small Eolian Dunes," Sedimentology,
24(1977):361-387, p. 384-385
**
"Because eolian climbing-ripple structure is generally so different in
appearance from subaqueous climbing-ripple structure, a new terminology has
been developed. The name, 'climbing-ripple structure', is proposed for any
structure formed by climbing ripples, whether or not ripple-foreset
cross-stratification is visible. Climbing-ripple structure is potentially
composed of wavy layering parallel to successive rippled depositional
surfaces and even layering parallel to the vector of ripple climb. The
former, called 'ripple laminae superimposed in rhythm' by McKee and here
called 'rippleform lamination', is not present, or at least is not visually
detectable, in amny eolian climbing-ripple structures. The latter, formerly
called 'pseudobeddng', 'climbing-ripple stratification', or 'climbing-ripple
pseudo-stratification' , is here called 'climbing translatent
stratification'."~Ralph E. Hunter, "Basic Types of Stratification in Small
Eolian Dunes," Sedimentology, 24(1977):361-387, p. 371
**
Other items which should be found if the dunes are subaqueous.
1. Fish-droppings
2. glauconite(which is generally accepted as being marine in spite of that
GSA article)
3. no caliche. I know of no way for caliche to be deposited beneath the sea
since its formation requries evaporation. (C. M. Rice Dictionary of
Geological Terms, p. 463) The mongolian dunes have multiple caliche horizons
glenn
Adam, Apes, and Anthropology: Finding the Soul of Fossil Man
and
Foundation, Fall and Flood
http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm