Sand Dune Desert Formations (#2)

 

After a grueling day-long hike, we reached a new area of sand dunes. Our efforts were well rewarded with an array of bizarre and captivating formations sculpted by wind and time.

Of particular note was a 50 metre high dune, with moat and incredible bedding layers including one with trunks protruding outward. This formation appears to be an erosional remnant of a once-larger dune system at a higher elevation. In such environments, we often encounter deposits rich in wood and logs, possibly accumulated at the margins of dune lakes or swamps before being buried by advancing dunes, as seems to be the case here. The cause of tree death and accumulation is uncertain – it could range from natural mortality and storm runoff to large cyclones, with even tsunamis being a possibility, depending on elevation and proximity to the sea. Many of our dune lands were forested during colder periods, and as sea levels rose afterwards, it’s quite possible to find fossil soils and occasionally in-situ tree stumps in locations like this.