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Article: Dune diversity
- Article from:
- The Gazette
- Article date:
- June 2, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2006 The Gazette. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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MOSCA, Colo. - This may be the only desert in the world that
depends on water.
At Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, sand caught in the
prevailing southwestern winds of the San Luis Valley sweeps into a
corner of the 14,000-foot Sangre de Cristo Mountains and gathers like
dust bunnies under a couch.
Then, streams rushing down from the mountains wash the leading
edge of the sand back down into the valley to be whipped up by the
winds again.
The results are stunning.
The sand piles in dunes, wave upon wave, 750 feet above the
sagebrush deck, suddenly dives into Sand Creek and Medano Creek and
ends.
One side of the creek looks like a desert beach, the other is
scrub oak, juniper ...