GEOL 475 - Western Kentucky University

Kelso Dunes:

Notes from Jeremy Tallent:

The Kelso Sand Dunes of San Bernardino County, California are truely an amazing site. The dunes have a thickness of greater than 700 ft in some places. There has been some argument concerning the petrogenesis or formation processes that helped to create the dunes. The dunes rise from a broad alluvial apron that slopes down from the Granite Mountains. These dunes do not always follow the typical techniques of migration as other large dunes usually do, but do mainly migrate from the windward side to the leeward side.

Check here soon for a moving gif image that shows dune migration!

The grains look very rounded but actually have tiny indentations where they hit each other. Most of the sand is composed of quartz and feldspar. The black layers seen are magnitite, hemitite and iron oxides. If you happen to have a magnet with you, try and catch some magnitite. Be warned, the dunes are farther than they appear, and can prove to be rough terrain to move about on.

Click on the thumbnails for more images of the Kelso Dune Field:

Mr. Cody, always eager to explore new landforms.	Ashley and Heather taking a "break"	The dunes from a distance.	Dr. Wulff using a magnet to find magnitite.

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Website Administrator: Jeremy Tallent
Course Faculty Advisor: Andrew Wulff Ph.D