Skyscrapers from nature: the highest dunes in the world. The largest dune in Europe is growing! Great sand dunes of Colorado

The highest sand dunes on our planet are located in Africa, in the Namibian desert, in the Sossusvlei nature reserve. Some of them reach almost 400 meters in height.

The dunes were “built” by the wind. It is a very slow but persistent builder. The sand is constantly moving. And the shape of sandy skyscrapers is changing.
In addition to height and shape, giants also differ from each other in color. There are up to 16 shades of red, pink, yellow, orange.

Not all of the sandy mountains are allowed to approach and drive up. Self-will is punishable by a hefty fine.

Dune called Big Daddy 325 meters high

More often here the dunes are not given a name, but simply assigned a number. The highest dune is dune number 7, its height is almost 390 m.

Sossusvlei are like waves - some are lower, some are higher. The dunes here gather together, preventing any further flow of the Tsauchab River, about 60 km east of the Atlantic Ocean.

Endless play of light and shadow. Barchans of perfect shape. Sharpened dune ridges. Bright sky. Surreal world...

Black gnarled trunks of acacias dried up a thousand years ago - this is the Dead Valley - Dead Vlei.

For many years, the dunes were formed under the influence of winds.

The dunes have different colors: from red to chestnut brown, from pale yellow to fiery scarlet, from apricot to orange.

Experienced tourists say that in Sossusvlei you need to meet at least one sunrise and one sunset to see all the sandy shades: from pale yellow-pink to orange, then to rich yellow, red and deep purple in the shade ...

For tourists, climbing the dunes is arranged. climb on

I don't have a quadcopter, so I had to borrow the first picture from the Internet, all the other photos are mine. This miracle of nature is located in the south of France near the city of Arcachon. This sand dune is called Pyla Dune.

02. Pyla Dune is very popular among tourists from all over the world. Pay attention to the information board. The air temperature at the time of our arrival was 34 degrees, and it continues to grow. Naturally, this is in the shade, which is practically non-existent there. There is a small amount of shade in the parking lot, as well as on the approaches to the dune.

03. We leave the car in the parking lot and start moving towards the Pyla Dune. I read on the Internet that you can’t climb the dune with dogs, but the reality is different. I saw several visitors with dogs there, but I didn’t see any prohibition signs.

04. Before climbing, you can leave your shoes downstairs, or you can not leave them. It seems that some group of schoolchildren decided to go barefoot.

05. The dune is located on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, its profile is rather steep from the land side.

06. Of course, you can climb on foot directly on the sand, but it seems to me that a more convenient way to climb to the top of the dune would be to climb the stairs.

07. But you can go down on foot. Probably, these are the same schoolchildren who left their shoes downstairs.

08. The height of the dune of Pyla is approximately 130 meters. Climbing to the top in such heat is not easy at all.

09. After the rise, the dog was breathing so hard that I was afraid that she would have a heart failure, but everything worked out.

10. A little rest after the ascent and we continue our way along the dune. Then there is also a small difference in heights, but it is almost not felt after the tiring climb up the stairs.

11. On the left is the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean, on the right is Arcachon. The city of Cap-Ferret can be seen ahead. I recently talked about my visit.

12. There are a lot of young people on the dune. It was the middle of June. I don’t know whether the French school year has ended by this time or not.

13. The length of the Pyla Dune is about 3 kilometers, but there are very few people who want to go through such heat to the opposite edge of the dune.

14. Most tourists hang out in the first five hundred meters. Someone sits on the sand, many take pictures or photograph the surrounding landscapes.

15. The descent to the water is more gentle than from the opposite side of the dune, but almost no one goes down to the ocean either, because then you will either have to climb up the sand or go around the perimeter of the dune to get to the car left in the parking lot.

Deserts are reputed to be deserted and lifeless, but at the same time they are incredibly beautiful, especially when viewed from above. Different types of sand, topography, wind and climate - all this creates a colossal amount of landscapes. Wandering dunes form an endless number of ever-changing shapes. The photographs in this collection were taken by astronauts and satellites and capture the most...

• cheaptrip January 14, 2010
• 6212
• 12

Images are not available in older content. We apologize for the inconvenience__

Deserts are reputed to be deserted and lifeless, but at the same time they are incredibly beautiful, especially when viewed from above. Different types of sand, topography, wind and climate - all this creates a colossal amount of landscapes. Wandering dunes form an infinite number of ever-changing figures.

The photographs in this collection were taken by astronauts and from satellites and captured the most beautiful, most memorable, vast desert regions of our planet.

Algerian Sand Sea

The sandy sea (Erg) of Issaouane extends over 39,000 sq. km. in eastern Algeria. This sandy sea in the middle of the Sahara desert is made up of three types of dunes. Mega dunes, also known as whalebacks, formed over hundreds of thousands of years and are hundreds of kilometers long. Mesoscale dunes form the top of the mega dunes, and their gradual displacement can only be seen after decades. Smaller dunes form around larger dunes. They take on various forms under the influence of the winds and are in constant motion.

In a photograph taken by ISS astronauts in 2005, mesoscale dunes have taken the form of starfish-like dunes and crescent-shaped dunes.

*Click to see a larger photo

In a photograph taken by ISS astronauts in 2006, huge rounded shapes are mega-dunes. The smallest dunes look like wrinkles against the background of large dunes.

Imperial Dunes of California

The Algodon dune field, located on the border between Mexico and Arizona with California, reaches a width of almost 10 km and stretches for 70 km. These dunes are most famous as the dunes of the planet Tatooine in the Star Wars universe. In their open spaces is the official national park administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The only man-made structure among the dunes is the American Canal, which cuts its way through the dunes near their rise at the Mexican farmlands. You can see it on the right in the photo. The photo was taken by astronauts from the ISS in 2005.

White sands in New Mexico

The sands of the dunes of the White Sands National Monument are particles of gypsum, an evaporite mineral that has accumulated as a result of the evaporation of large masses of water. In place of these dunes, a shallow sea dried up several hundred million years ago. Several thousand years ago, a huge lake evaporated here. Such dunes are quite rare, because gypsum usually dissolves easily in water and is subsequently carried by rivers. Here, its particles have been preserved due to the fact that there is no access to the sea from the basin where they are located. In turn, the water from the rivers flowing into this basin dried up, and the gypsum was not washed out.

The dunes in southern New Mexico cover an area of ​​more than 700 square kilometers. Almost half of the area is under the protection of the national park. This photograph of the area was taken with the Advanced Land Imager from NASA's Earth Observing-1 satellite.

Rub al-Khali (Empty Quarter) Desert in Saudi Arabia

This aptly named desert is the world's largest sand sea and covers an area of ​​more than 580,000 square kilometers. The photo shows part of it, located in Saudi Arabia, but this sea is also in Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

The gray and white spots between the pink sands represent plains covered with dry salt. The temperature in Rub al-Khali (literally translated as "empty quarter") reaches 54 °C. In such heat, only some species of plants, spiders and rodents that live here can survive. The sand covers one of the most oil-rich areas in the world.

This photo was taken in 2001. using Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) on the NASA/USGS Landsat 7 satellite. Below you can see a close-up photo of the dunes. Learn more about Rub al Khali in this National Geographic video.

Dunes of Tifernain in Algiers

This part of the Sahara Desert, located in the east of Algeria, adjoins the dark gray Tinneart plateau. On top of the old large dunes, star dunes were formed by the action of the winds, and sedimentary rocks, along with salt, collected in small depressions between the dunes. The climate is now dry and hot, but the valleys carved by the rivers on the border of the plateau testify to a wetter climate in the past.

This photo was taken by astronauts from the ISS in August 2009.

Unyanga lakes, Chad

These finger-shaped lakes are what is left of a single large lake that began to shrink about 5,500 years ago. The sand was driven up by the wind and partially filled the lake basin, breaking it into several separate ones. Nine out of ten lakes are fresh water, they take water from the aquifer underground. Ancient pollen found among the sediments in the lakes showed that the area used to have a temperate tropical climate.

The highest and oldest dunes in the world

In the Namib Desert, you can find dunes about three hundred meters high. They were carved by the winds blowing along the Atlantic coast of Namibia. The Namib Naukluft National Park, pictured here, is one of the largest parks in Africa. It is inhabited by hyenas, jackals, geckos and other rare animals. In addition, this desert is considered one of the oldest in the world - the climate here was dry even 55 million years ago. Today, its area receives an average of only 6 cm of precipitation per year.

The following photo was taken in 2000 by the Landsat-7 satellite operated by NASA and the USGS (U.S. Geological Survey).

This topographic image was created by combining a photograph taken in 2002 with topological data obtained by the ASTER equipment from the Terra satellite. In 2009, he celebrated his tenth anniversary.

Great sand dunes of Colorado

This collection of dunes, located near the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in southern Colorado, was designated a national monument in 1932 and a national park in 2004. Every year it is visited by 300 thousand visitors. Although these dunes cover an area of ​​just under 80 square kilometers, they reach 230 m in height and are the tallest dunes in the United States.

This photo national park The Great Sand Dunes (top) was captured by the Ikonos sensor aboard the GeoEye satellite in 2005.

The lightly colored sand of the dunes was formed from sedimentary rock that was gradually weathered by the adjacent mountains and settled in the lake. The lake periodically dried up, and the wind blew the rock from its bottom.

And this one - by the ISS astronauts in 2007.

Sactoria: ciliates that have lost their cilia

Smooth, almost sandless, flat-bottomed bowls, bordered by huge dunes, which in turn are covered with small jagged dunes, resemble honeycombs in the very center of the Sahara.

The sandy Murzuk Sea in Libya contains numerous rows of such large dunes, referred to as "draa". The smaller dunes, which can be seen in the photo below, consist of many star dunes, linear longitudinal dunes, and curved transverse dunes. The weathered side of the smaller dunes is smoother and flatter than the opposite side. This photo was taken by ISS astronauts in December 2008.

Lake Eyre in Australia

Heavy rains in early 2009 began to fill the bottom of this huge dry lake in the Simpson Desert in Queensland. In the photo you can see the water flowing into the lake. It was taken on May 9 by the Landsat-5 satellite. Together with water, plants and thousands of birds appear.

The image below, taken by a satellite on February 18, shows how dry this area remains for much of the year.

Outcrops in the Sahara

Dune-sheltered sandy rivers meander around exposed rock in this very dry and barren section of the Sahara in Libya. This photo was taken by the Terra satellite in 2002.

Scars of Australia

This part of the Simpson Desert in Australia's Northern Territory is covered in desert scrub that gives it a greenish tint and prevents the dunes from being blown over by the winds. However, a fire that broke out here a year before this photo was taken in 2002 burned some of the vegetation, exposing the sands underneath.

The strange pattern in the sand must have been caused by a 90-degree turn in the direction of the winds during the fire. This photo was taken by ISS astronauts.

(dune du Pilat), located near the city of Arcachon.

This is the highest dune in Europe, its constantly changing height - from 110 to 130 meters. From the satellite, the dune looks like this.

And this is a view of the entire three-kilometer dune from a quadrocopter (from Wikipedia).

The dune began to form about 4 thousand years ago: under the influence of the storm winds of the Bay of Biscay, quicksand began to accumulate and gradually move to nearby settlements.

Where did the sand come from? Weathering and the waters of the bay destroyed the mountain ranges of the Central Pyrenees, the stone turned into sand, which was carried away to the sea by rivers, and the tides (there are ebbs and flows here) returned the sand back. The wind from the bay drove the sand towards the land, there were forests in the way of the sand - this is how the dune grew.

At some point, Napoleon issued a decree that forests should be planted in abundance around the dune - to protect the territories. And there was something to defend: the dune kept advancing and advancing, in the thirties of the last century it even managed to swallow up the whole house, which was very imprudently built not far from it on the way of advancement.

The width of the dune is about 600 meters, it has a long gentle slope from the sea side and a rather steep slope (up to 30 degrees) from the forest side.

So we arrived at the reserve, built on the leeward side of the dune.

The weather was cloudy, with occasional heavy rain, but we still hoped to climb up.

National park in front of the dune. It has a cafe, some amenities, but the cafe, of course, does not work in winter, there are very few tourists in winter, the weather is not conducive to visits. But in the summer there is a continuous flow of tourists, and about two million people visit the dune every year.

Here we are already approaching the dune. Do you see the top of the covered tree in the center of the frame? So, a few years ago there was a cafe under this tree. You can imagine how fast the dune advances.

The ascent is relatively gentle at first, then it becomes very steep and there you have to go not “head on”, but diagonally to the side: it takes longer to climb, but it’s a little easier.

And the situation was, to be honest, very unfavorable: on the dune, even when climbing, a very strong wind was blowing, which threw sand in the face. And when we went upstairs, there was a hurricane-like wind at all: it practically knocked down and pulled the smartphone out of my hands: I could barely hold it.

This is a view of the forest from the top of the dune.

And this is the view for which we climbed up - the Bay of Biscay. Well, at least he managed to take one shot - it also rained there, the situation was somewhat extreme.

In the summer, of course, it's a completely different matter. The wind is very mild, and for tourists they are also laying a staircase of 260 steps. Tourists go upstairs barefoot (the sand will get into any shoes) and then they walk there along the three-kilometer dune zone.

Highly interesting place glad I visited. Well, I'll try to somehow come in the summer - everything should be completely different here.

Before that, I was only on. Also a very interesting place, but here the dune is much more impressive.

Sand dunes, which are the result of centuries or even millennia of accumulation of windblown sand, can be found all over the world, from arid desert regions left over from prehistoric lakes and ocean beds to barriers between land and sea. Sand dunes have protected the Earth from harsh winds and rising water levels for centuries, and have provided unique habitats for numerous animal species that have adapted to the rough, sandy environment. As with any mountains, when it comes to size and structure, some dunes are many times superior to others.

1. Dune in Pyla, France

This massive mound, located right in the middle of a huge pine forest, by the Atlantic Ocean, and the French Arcachon Bay (Arcachon Bay) is the highest dune in Europe. At the top, which offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding contrast of nature, this huge dune is more than 100 meters high, and it towers over the waters of the bay by as much as 106 meters. How this dune actually formed is still a mystery, but it's one of France's hidden tourist treasures.

2. Big Daddy, Namibia

A sand dune called Big Daddy, which towers 304 meters above the Namibian landscape, draws tourists and locals alike to spend a day rock climbing on its rusty red slopes. Some do it for the unforgettable views from the top, while others do it for the opportunity to show off later. Being the highest dune on the Sossusvlei plateau is no small feat. While Dune 7 (located along the Tsauchab River) is the tallest dune in the Namib Desert, climbing Big Daddy is considered one of the must-do activities in this arid, desert climate. This is probably because it is much more fun to say later: “I climbed all the way to Big Daddy (translated from of English language Big Daddy means "big daddy")", than to report that you spent the whole day climbing Dune No. 7.

3. Ynyslas, Wales


Pronouncing the name of this place, the sand dunes of Inislas, can be difficult, but a visit to this place is a must. Here you can enjoy some of the most beautiful views in all of Wales. Situated on the very edge between sea and land, Inislas is an ever-changing palette of colors and shapes, with wildflowers dotted along the slope facing the sea in summer time and a ridge that continues to grow every year, millimeter by millimeter, due to the fact that the wind continues to bring sand here. In addition to the beauty of the dunes, Inislas also provides much-needed protection for the area's ecosystem, forming a sandy wall between the land's vegetation and harsh ocean winds.

4. Badin Jaran Dunes, China


If you intend to visit these dunes, then most likely you should bring headphones with you. China's Badyn Jaran desert is home to the highest fixed dunes on the planet, some of which reach 500 meters in height. The exact properties of these dunes, held in place by water somehow seeping out of the lake below, are not exactly known, but this is unlikely to be their very own. interesting feature.

In addition to the secret of water absorption, Badyn Jaran is also where a phenomenon known as "singing sands" occurs, in which the topmost layer of sand causes an electrostatic charge in the layers below when it is blown away by the wind, causing us to hear a massive low-frequency noise. , similar to the hum of an airplane propeller flying overhead.

5. Mount Tempest, Australia


Mount Tempest in Australia may be one of the highest in the world, and the tallest coastal dune in the world. However, it is not these titles that attract crowds of tourists to Queensland, who flock specifically to climb the once deserted dune slope. The dune is held in place by vegetation that is rooted deep in the sand, and the view from above is a spectacular sight for both day-trippers and professional photographers, offering a panoramic view of the area from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane.

6. Dune Rig-e Yalan (Rig-e Yalan Dune), Iran


Few dunes in the world can boast that they rise more than 304 meters above sea level, the Iranian dune Rig-e Yalan claims to be famous not because of its height, but because of its temperature. The desert in which this dune is located is only a few kilometers from the hottest place on earth, where temperatures exceed 65 degrees Celsius. While it is probably a bit cooler at the top of the Rig-e Yalan dune, climbing the dune at a temperature sufficient for frying eggs is still not recommended.

7. Cerro Blanco, Peru


The dune Cerro Blanco, which nestles alone between the coastal and high Andes in South America, is generally considered to be the tallest lone sand dune on the planet. The white sand of the only dune in this area, reaches a height of 2133 meters above sea level and rises above the rocky mountains and valleys surrounding it. Despite the fact that this dune was said to have been a sacred place in Inca times, today this giant is usually used by tourists as an ideal place to master sand surfing and off-road driving.

8. Mesquite Flats Dunes, California, USA


Although less than one percent of Death Valley National Park is covered in dunes, the Mesquite Flats sand dunes are probably the first thing that comes to mind when the valley is mentioned. These dunes, of course, do not claim to be the highest, given that the height of the highest of them is less than 30 meters, but they are huge and stretch for kilometers, providing locals and tourists with huge expanses for walking.

9. Rub` al Khali, Saudi Arabia


The dunes of Rub al Khali, located in Saudi Arabia (Rub` al Khali literally translates as "empty quarter") cover an area of ​​647,497 square kilometers. Sand dunes rise from the ground like waves in the sea, which alternate with vast plains of gypsum. A trip to these dunes will be enough for you to feel like the "Lawrence of Arabia" sitting on top of a 76-meter mountain of reddish quartz sand, enjoying the view of the endless desert.

10. Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, USA


No description of the dunes would be complete without mentioning the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado. They are certainly not the most extensive in the world, and not even the largest, however, the Great Sand Dunes are part of a unique natural contrast. Arid dunes slope down to the babbling Medano Creek on one side and rise to rocky blue mountains on the other. Because the sands here are so soft and spread over such a large area (77.7 square kilometers), it's a great place to surf on the sand, sled on the sand, and just slide down like kids on a playground.