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Geology Picture of the Week, January 20-26, 2008: Colorado's Great Sand Dunes from Space
NASA Earth Observatory ^ | January 2008 | NASA

Posted on 01/22/2008 9:47:58 AM PST by cogitator

I know that I've provided previous images of Great Sand Dunes both from space and on the ground. But when I saw this one, I knew it was the one for this week. What it shows very nicely is why the sand dunes are where they are -- winds blow across the Rio Grande valley through the pass in the Sangre de Cristo range, and the sand carried by the winds has to stop at the base of the mountains. The gap in the mountains is fairly easily seen in this image. I actually had a view from a fairly similar perspective (though much lower altitude) on a plane traveling to California once.

The image below is half-size; click for full size.



TOPICS: Arts/Photography; Education; Outdoors; Science
KEYWORDS: colorado; dunes; mountains; sand
Runner-up: Kilauea lava stream on January 11 (also half-size):


1 posted on 01/22/2008 9:47:59 AM PST by cogitator
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To: 2Trievers; headsonpikes; Pokey78; Lil'freeper; epsjr; sauropod; Miss Marple; CPT Clay; ...

** ping **


2 posted on 01/22/2008 9:49:27 AM PST by cogitator
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To: cogitator
I got an email today that had some great pics of Antarctic ice.

Waves breaking through the ice and freezing in place.

Really cool, but I don't know what server the pics came from.

3 posted on 01/22/2008 9:52:13 AM PST by TexasCajun
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To: cogitator

Sweet! Let me get my Banshee warmed up, and I’ll meet you. :)


4 posted on 01/22/2008 10:03:05 AM PST by papasmurf (I'm voting for FRed, even if I have to write him in.)
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To: cogitator

These should make for some nice wallpaper images.


5 posted on 01/22/2008 10:31:34 AM PST by shekkian
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To: cogitator

They used that place for 2 scenes in The Outlaw Josey Wales


6 posted on 01/22/2008 1:29:06 PM PST by RSmithOpt (Liberalism: Highway to Hell)
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