Friday 24 March 2017

Gypsum sand dunes

Gypsum Sand Dunes - but the Grains are Too Big!

The Salar de Gorbea in the Atacama in Chile has gypsum sand dunes, like White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, USA. But, at White Sands the grains are small and wind blown, at the Salar they are up to 20cm! But they look wind blown! 

THIS ARTICLE in the Economist discusses how such huge crystals get to the dunes from gypsum producing ponds 5km away. Dust Devils? - perhaps.


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