Desert Pavement—the most ancient surface or a more recent development?

Desert pavement comprises a surficial layer of gravel clasts and cobbles underlain by dust and silt that mantles mature alluvial surfaces in arid regions around the world. Once thought to originate from either deflation or expansion and contraction of wet desert soils, desert pavement is now known to form in place from the aeolian accumulation of dust beneath a surface layer of gravel. Desert pavement affects the type and distribution of desert plants on arid land surfaces, as well as inhibits the activities of small burrowing animals. Considerable debate surrounds the age of pavement surfaces and how well they survive changes in climatic conditions. Some researchers maintain that most desert pavements developed during the Holocene, whereas others indicate that some of the oldest surface soils on the planet are desert pavements in the Middle East.