![]() NPS/Great Sand Dunes NPP The large dunefield is actually just one of four primary components of the Great Sand Dunes geological system. The mountain watershed, dunefield, sand sheet, and sabkha are each important aspects of this complex sand system. ![]() NPS/Patrick Myers ![]() NPS/Steve Chaney ![]() NPS/Scott Hansen ![]() NPS/Patrick Myers The sabkha forms where sand is seasonally saturated by rising ground water. When the water evaporates away in late summer, minerals similar to baking soda cement sand grains together into a white crust. Areas of sabkha can be found throughout western portions of the sand sheet, wherever the water table meets the surface. In this area are both deeper stream or spring-fed wetlands with rich plant and animal life, and shallower, salty evaporation groundwater. |
Last updated: March 6, 2024