Page 49 - Super Earth Encyclopedia

MOUNTAINS

OF SAND

NAMIB DESERT DUNES

Dry desert sand is easily moved by the wind,
which bounces it along over the ground and heaps
it into sand dunes. In Africa’s Namib Desert, winds
coming from the nearby Atlantic have built up some
of the highest and oldest dunes on Earth. Like all
sand dunes, they are shaped by wind carrying sand
up the windward face of each dune and making it
fall over the crest to the sheltered side. This makes
some dunes creep slowly downwind, while others
have become fixed in place.

AT A GLANCE

• LOCATION Namibia, southwest Africa
• LANDFORM Desert sand dunes
• FORMATION Built up from wind-blown
desert sand
• AGE The desert dunes have existed for
at least 2 million years

STATS AND FACTS

NAMIB DESERT RECORD BREAKER
Some of the
biggest sand The desert itself has At 1,273 ft (388 m)
high, Dune 7 at
existed for at least
dunes in the 55 million years, Walvis Bay is the
world are found making it the oldest highest sand dune in
in the Sossusvlei desert on Earth. the Namib Desert.
region of the FORMIDABLE FORMATIONS
Namib Desert.
Summer daytime temperatures
TEMPERATURE can reach 113°F (45°C); at night
they can dip to near freezing.
°C 10 20 30 40 50
°F 50 68 86 104 122

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