Afternoon at Eureka Dunes
by Joe Schofield
Title
Afternoon at Eureka Dunes
Artist
Joe Schofield
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Late afternoon at Eureka Dunes. The Eureka Dunes lie in the remote Eureka Valley, an enclosed basin at 3000 foot elevation located northwest of Death Valley. The dunes cover an area only 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, yet they are the tallest sand dunes in California, possibly the tallest in all of North America. They rise suddenly more than 680 feet above the dry lakebed at their western base. As tall as these dunes are, they are dwarfed by the impressive limestone wall of the Last Chance Mountains which rises another 4000 feet above the valley floor.
The climb to the summit of the dunes is not an easy walk. All the slopes are steep and the loose sand gives way beneath your feet. At the top, the sweeping view seems reward enough for your efforts, yet if the sand is completely dry you may experience one of the strangest phenomena to be found in the desert: singing sand. When the sand avalanches down the steepest face of the highest dune, a sound like a bass note of a pipe organ or the distant drone of an airplane can be heard eminating from the sand. If the dune is at all damp (even though it may not feel so to the touch) no sound will be made. Why this occurs is not fully understood, but may have something to do with the smooth texture of the sand grains and the friction of those grains sliding against each other.
Uploaded
June 26th, 2024
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Comments (27)
Rahdne Zola
Excellent capture, Joe, of this fascinating natural vista! The phenomenon of the sounds from the dry sand must be unreal to experience. Love the lines and contrast on these wind-blown dunes!
Jim Love
I was going to say that this was "masterpiece material", but to heck with that...this IS a masterpiece Joe, kudos sir
William Dunigan
Wonderful layers in those dunes, perfect light for drawing out those smooth contrasts!
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