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White Sands National Monument
For Kids
Photo of sand avalanching  

Did You Know?
While the wind piles the sand grains into dunes, the dunes move forward under the force of gravity. As the leading edge of the dune ("slipface") gets steeper, gravity pulls an avalanche of sand down the slipface, moving the dune forward.

Last Updated: September 18, 2007 at 16:28 EST