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Despite the obvious similarities between Martian and Terrestrial dunes, one in-depth analysis has led a couple of researchers (Gary Kocurek and Ryan Ewing, see below) to suggest that there are also important differences.

Many coastal New Jersey residents are resisting a $1 billion state plan to shield shore-front towns from storms with towering dunes and a mix of protective measures. As some cite fears the sand-replenishment projects would drag down their property values, about 1,800 landowners have declined to sign agreements to allow construction on their property, said Larry Ragonese, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection. The state Supreme Court last week heard arguments on a resident's lawsuit seeking more money for the agreement, known as an easement, and Gov. Chris Christie called dune opponents "knuckleheads."

National Geographic is still the best place for nature (and I will also add, social/cultural) photography. There are many other good and great photographic sources, but NatGeo maintains a level of excellence like no other. I will now provide a couple of examples. Don't forget that they have new desktop wallpapers every month. The Brazil coastal dunes were in the July issue of National Geographic. Click on each for desktop-wallpaper sized original. And as a bonus:

NASA Earth Observatory is having a 10th anniversary, and you can vote for the best image (through April 13th; the finals are April 14-27. Voting Info Anyway, I've been voting, and found two nice images of sand dunes. I might have posted the second one before; oh well, it's still a great image. As is common, click for full size.

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...

A few images of sand dunes, artistically-viewed: Click on this one for full-size:

Mining the Natural Arch and Bridge Society site for fun found this: "Mask Rock is located in the Ouadi Archei region of Ennedi [Chad] about 39 kilometers SSE of Fada. The left opening has a span of 36 feet and a height of 57 feet. The right opening has a span of 27 feet and a height of 50 feet. Photo by Gunter Welz." Just for the heck of it, Googling on "Turkey Rock" discovered this, apparently somewhere around Aspen (Independence Pass, wherever that is): Another Web site, mostly written in Czechoslovakian, calls the images below Turkey Rock and Turkey...

Sandy clues to ancient climate Sid Perkins The orientation of these dunes in north-central Nebraska provide a clue that the climate there a millennium ago was much different than it is today. The Nebraska Sand Hills have been frozen in place by vegetation for 800 to 1,000 years, says David B. Loope, a geologist at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. Loope and J. Mason The 12-to-15-meter-tall dunes, which run from west-northwest to east-southeast, couldn't have been formed by modern wind patterns, which bring plant-nurturing moisture to the region from the Gulf of Mexico in the springtime. Loope and his...

I know I've posted pictures of this place before, but the full-size version of this picture (unlabeled) gives me a weirdly vertiginous feeling. The source article is linked above; a click on the picture below will go to the full-size version. For those who haven't heard before, Medano Creek has a strange property (when it's flowing, mainly in the spring) due to the sandy bed; it pulsates. The sand bed constantly builds up little dams and bars, that break down with the water flow, sending waves downstream. An Ocean in Colorado? (note link to cartoon animation) Here's a nice picture...

This started as a question to myself: "I wonder if there are sand dunes in northern climates?" Googling on "sand dunes" + Canada revealed another heretofore unknown (at least to me) geological location -- Athabasca Sand Dunes in Saskatchewan. I've heard of Athabasca before in association with tar sands, but this is a the first time I'd heard of a provincial Athabasca Sand Dunes Park. The Web site says that is only accessible by air. So I'm guessing not a lot of people have been there or visit there. Since this is very new to me and perhaps others, first...

Secrets of the DunesEXCLUSIVE: At Australia's WIllandra Lakes, TIME’s Lisa Clausen Visits the site of the world's largest repository of ice-age human footprints Sunday, Mar. 19, 2006 They were in the wrong place, but Steve Webb's archaeology class decided to stay anyway. A colleague had mistakenly taken them to a site they'd never visited before, a nondescript-looking claypan lost among the pale dunes in the Willandra Lakes region of far western New South Wales. Luckily, Webb thought it would still make good practice fieldwork for his Aboriginal students after a week of classes in the nearby town of Mildura. He...

NEWPORT BEACH – Moving a pile of sand could cost several homeowners here an even bigger pile of cash. The California Coastal Commission on Monday accused five residents with beachfront property of flattening protected sand dunes to improve their ocean views. The commission is ordering the dunes rebuilt – a process that could reach into the six-figure range. Considered important habitat for threatened birds, the dunes were allegedly seen as an obstruction by residents whose ocean vistas were blocked by the 3- to 6-foot-tall dunes. "Sand dunes are loved and hated," Newport Assistant City Manager Dave Kiff said. "The residents...

Off for Thanksgiving week, back with an Earth Observatory three-fer. Click each picture for the article about it. On the nature side, I saw an owl on Saturday as twilight approached. Probably only the third live wild owl sighting of my lifetime. Number one: the Algodones dune field in California, which has starred in many Hollywood movies (not just Star Wars). I'm sure that the dune-walking sequence in "Kung Fu" was shot here, and many, many westerns. Number two: the Sand Hills of Nebraska. Sand Hills from the ground (I couldn't find a high-quality Sand Hills picture, but nature photographers...

Sands dunes on Mars imaged by MGS (Nasa) Sands dunes: Another part of the water story on Mars Scientists have found evidence that large amounts of water-ice hide within massive sand dunes on Mars. One of the dunes, which spans 6.5km and rises 475m above the Martian surface, may be the single largest sand dune in the entire Solar System. The icy dunes could be a valuable resource for any future manned missions to the planet, said Dr Mary Bourke. The researcher presented her results to a science conference in Dublin. "If you're looking for a source of water...

GREY'S VALLEY WELL — Spanish-speaking men in a black sport utility vehicle attacked two San Diego residents camping near the Plank Road Monument here Sunday evening, a stretch of the east county desert south of the Grey's Well Interstate 8 off-ramp. The men in the SUV reportedly shot at the man and woman after the couple scrambled into their trailer for safety. After trying to bash the trailer open by ramming it with the front of the SUV, the men drove off. The woman, who asked not to be identified, said Monday that the attack was just one of a...

Link post: go to the thread below for images and discussion/commentary. The article link is to the Washington Post article about the now-official upgrade of Great Sand Dune National Monument to Great Sand Dunes National Park. Geology Picture of the Week, September 12-18, 2004: Great Sand Dunes National PARK

The link to the Washington Post article above is about the new designation, promoting Great Sand Dunes from National Monument to National Park. The picture below I found searching on Google; it's not from the WashPost. I'm sure that I've done a previous Geology Picture of the Week on Great Sand Dunes (one of the most fascinating places I've ever visited, but I didn't get to see the pulsating Medano Creek - best time to see it is during spring melt season - I was there in January. So here's a really nice picture of creek, dunes, and mountains: Link...

The site (linked above) includes some 360-degree panoramas of this area, but you have to download the viewer. I didn't do that.

Link post (provided to direct interested parties to the Geology Picture of the Week in the FR "chat" section): Geology Picture of the Week, August 17-23, 2003 Reply if you would like to be added to the ping list.

I saw this a couple of weeks ago, and kept it in mind for a Geology Picture of the Week. I think this is one of the most fascinating National Monuments in our country. I've been here, but I haven't been to White Sands NM. Link to page with larger versions of the image: Image of the Week: February 23, 2003