The Great Colorado Sand Dunes Color Print
by James BO Insogna
Title
The Great Colorado Sand Dunes Color Print
Artist
James BO Insogna
Medium
Photograph - Photograph, Giclee Print, Fine Art Print, Art Canvas, Framed Print, Poster
Description
The Great Colorado Sand Dunes. The park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America, rising about 750 feet (230 m) from the floor of the San Luis Valley on the western base of the Sangre de Cristo Range, covering about 19,000 acres (77 kmē). They are perhaps 12,000 years old.
The dunes were formed from sand deposits of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, flowing through the San Luis Valley. Over the ages, westerly winds picked up sand particles from the river flood plain. As the wind lost power before crossing the Sangre de Cristo Range, the sand was deposited on the east edge of the valley. This process continues, and the dunes are slowly growing. The wind changes the shape of the dunes daily.
Great Sand Dunes
There are several streams flowing on the perimeter of the dunes. The streams erode the edge of the dune field, and sand is carried downstream. The water disappears into the ground, depositing sand on the surface. Winds pick up the deposits of sand, and blow them up onto the dune field once again.
Digging a few inches into the dunes even at their peaks reveals wet sand. If the streams were to dry up, the dunes would disappear; in fact part of the motivation of turning the Monument into a National Park was the extra protection of the water, which Colorado's cities and agriculture covet. (source: wikipedia)
This Image is also available for stock photography and non exclusive licensing.
Uploaded
March 2nd, 2010
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