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267:. Although covering an area of only 3 square miles (7.8 km), the dunes rise approximately 680 feet (210 m) above the surrounding valley floor, making them one of the highest dune fields in North America. Eureka Valley is a basin and range structural valley oriented northwest–southeast and enclosed by the Last Chance Range to the east and the Saline Range to the west. The Eureka Dunes themselves are located in the southeasternmost tip of the valley and trend north–south, parallel to
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slopes and wind must have come from both the northern and southern ends of the valley. Star dunes have "arms" radiating off of a central crest that change direction as the wind direction changes. Little is known about the past of the Eureka Dunes and its development. The sand source is unknown, although some scientists believed that it originated from an ancient lake at the northern end of the valley.
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with no dusty material, dry and in low humidity, loosely packed, and each sand grain should be spherical and smooth The booming sound occurs when a sheet of sand avalanches down the slip face, exciting the sand grains. The friction between these grains creates an acoustic air wave that emits an audible sound.
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characteristic of the Eureka Dunes is caused by the relative motion of moving sand grains. The sound has been compared to moans, hums, drums, and, in the case of Eureka, a distant propeller plane. Most researchers agree that the average sand grain size should be smaller than 300 μm, well-sorted
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The Eureka Dunes are an example of a complex-linear dune – the main ridge is a static linear dune but there are active star dunes formations superimposed on the linear dune A linear dune has alternating slip faces on opposite sides of the crest. This means that both sides of the dune have similar
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The valley has two distinguishing features. Its shape alters the wind in such a way as to collect sand near its southern end, leading to the unique Eureka Dunes. Just to the east of the dunes, the Last Chance Range climbs over 3,500 feet (1,100 m) as near-vertical cliffs, displaying colorful
271:. According to a USGS survey map, the surrounding mountain ranges contain rocks that date back to the Mississippian and Cambrian periods while the surficial deposits on the valley floor are made up mainly of alluvium dating to the Quaternary period. They are also classified as
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to the northern
Grapevine section of Death Valley. A 10-mile gravel road provides access to the southern end of the valley. More primitive routes exit the valley to the northwest via Soldier Pass, to the northeast via Horse Thief Pass, and to the south via Dedeckera Canyon.
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Workman, J.B., C.M. Menges, W.R. Page, E.M. Taylor, E.B. Ekren, P.D. Rowley, G.L. Dixon, R.A. Thompson, and L.A. Wright. 2002. Geologic Map of the Death Valley Ground-Water Model Area, Nevada and
California. U.S. Geological Survey: Miscellaneous Field Studies Map
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are only found in this area. Visitors to the dunes may also experience other unique aspects of these dunes, other than the booming. In wet weather, patterns can be seen in the sand that reveals the diverse sources, and the complex
179:. It is approximately 28 miles (45 km) long and up to 10 miles (16 km) wide, with elevations varying from 2,870 feet (870 m) up to 8,456 feet (2,577 m). The southern section of the valley is now part of the
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Haff, P. K. 1986. Booming Dunes: For reasons not yet fully understood, sand sliding down the slipface of a dune can produce booming noises at startling volumes. American
Scientist. 74, 1: 376-381
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Vriend,N.M.;Hunt,M.L.;Clayton,R.W. 2012. Sedimentary structure of large sand dunes: examples from Dumont and Eureka dunes, California. Geophysical
Journal International. 190, 2: 981-992
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as part of its expansion in 1994. Foot travel in the dunes is permitted, but vehicle access is prohibited. A primitive campground is located at the north end of the dune field.
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rises over 5,500 feet (1,700 m) above the valley floor. To the west are the Saline
Mountains, and to the southwest lies
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Hunt, M. L. and N. M. Vriend. 2010 Booming sand dunes. Annual Review of Earth and
Planetary Sciences. 38: 281–301
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by which these dunes are formed and re-formed, and sources and processes that are not yet fully understood.
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McKee, Edwin. 1979. A Study of Global Sand Seas. Geological Survey
Professional Paper 1052.
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Sholtz, P; M Bretz; F Nori (1997). "Sound-producing sand noises at startling volumes".
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The Eureka Dunes are the home of several unique (and protected) plant species. The
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Accessed via a gravel road in Eureka Valley (which connects to a road running from
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Andreotti, Bruno. 2012. Sonic Sands. Reports on
Progress in Physics. 75 026602
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The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes are located in the southern part of
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Eureka Valley, California, and the Eureka Sand Dunes
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187:itself lies just to the southeast. To the north is
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27:Valley in Inyo County, California, United States
533:Death Valley National Park - Eureka Dunes (NPS)
290:Patterns in the Eureka Dunes after a rainstorm
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259:The Eureka Valley Sand Dunes, looking south.
309:Sand dunes also exist in Death Valley near
222:, like most other lower-lying areas of the
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423:"Eureka Dunes, Death Valley National Park"
152:Learn how and when to remove this message
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543:Endangered Endemic Dune Plants (USGS)
275:, one of only about forty worldwide.
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90:adding citations to reliable sources
214:Cliffs in Eureka Valley, California
964:Valleys of Inyo County, California
379:(Oenothera californica eurekensis)
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386:(Astragalus lentiginosus micans)
302:), the dunes became part of the
101:"Eureka Valley" Inyo County
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77:needs additional citations for
708:Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad
663:Amargosa Opera House and Hotel
282:The Eureka Dunes, looking west
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528:Eureka Sand Dune - Dune Guide
959:Valleys of the Mojave Desert
298:to the Grapevine section of
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969:Death Valley National Park
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181:Death Valley National Park
627:Death Valley monkeyflower
647:Saratoga Springs pupfish
637:Death Valley June beetle
224:Basin and Range Province
18:Eureka Valley Sand Dunes
376:Eureka Evening Primrose
363:Eureka Evening Primrose
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632:Death Valley pupfish
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197:White Mountain Range
175:in the southwestern
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794:Devil's Golf Course
688:Harmony Borax Works
673:Death Valley '49ers
642:Devils Hole pupfish
403:Deep Springs Valley
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199:. To the east the
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369:Eureka Dune Grass
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84:Please help
79:verification
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346:The unique
315:Kelso Dunes
169:Inyo County
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39:117°45′43″W
953:Categories
693:Lake Manly
683:Greenwater
622:Chuckwalla
433:2010-04-05
409:References
381:, and the
325:Morphology
251:Sand Dunes
195:, and the
173:California
112:newspapers
36:37°13′37″N
447:MF-2381-A
921:Nevada:
845:Rhyolite
754:Ballarat
668:Badwater
599:minerals
397:See also
296:Big Pine
228:Big Pine
656:History
355:Ecology
348:booming
334:Booming
317:in the
126:scholar
938:SR 374
933:SR 373
928:SR 267
912:SR 190
907:SR 178
902:SR 127
759:Beatty
739:Valley
723:Places
703:Skidoo
429:. 2008
374:, the
237:strata
220:graben
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923:US 95
875:Trona
803:Dunes
735:River
617:Borax
595:flora
591:Fauna
235:rock
133:JSTOR
119:books
597:and
581:and
105:news
427:NPS
88:by
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