|
|
Article: Sandy points.(sand dunes in the National Park System)
- Article from:
- National Parks
- Article date:
- May 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 National Parks Conservation Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Generations of painters, writers, and photographers have been inspired by wind-sculpted dunes, with backdrops of blue mountains or crasbing surf. Sand dunes come in many forms and as many colors as paints in an artist's palette.
The typical dune is formed as wind picks up loose particles of sand, eventually depositing them behind an obstruction such as a rock. Given the right combination of sand, wind, surf, and natural or manmade obstructions, a dune can form almost anywhere. The Sand Hill region of north central Nebraska is one of the world's largest and most unusual dune areas. The grass-covered dunes of the Sand Hills cover an area as large as New Hampshire and ...