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Geological Formations

Great Sand Dunes

Sedimentary and Stratigraphic Formations

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Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in south-central Colorado protects the tallest sand dune field in North America, with the tallest dunes rising roughly two hundred and thirty meters above the floor of the San Luis Valley. The dunes formed as sand and sediment, carried by ancient lakes and the Rio Grande and its tributaries, was blown by prevailing winds against the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which trap the sand and force it to pile upward rather than disperse.

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