JUNIPER DUNES EarthCache

This Earth Cache is not in the wilderness area but is in a BLM approved Off Road Vehicle designated area.

JUNIPER DUNES QUESTIONS

To validate the EC go to the above coordinates and answer the questions.

Which direction is the dune the highest?  Why?

Look at the vegetation around you, do you see any signs of the sand smothering or killing the plants if so describe the plants?

Take a pinch of sand and put it in your palm and spread the sand out so you can see the particles.  Describe what you see.  Color, size, non-sand particles and anything else you may want to report.

What kind of rock made the sand after it eroded?

Give a time, temperature and wind speed.  Is the wind blowing the sand?  If it is does it sting the back of your hand?

JUNIPER DUNES

Where in the world did all of this sand come from?  Well when Lake Missoula broke the ice dam and the flood came rushing down eastern and central Washington, the flood could not all escape through the Wallula Gap and for less than a week Lake Lewis was formed. This flood carried debris from ice bergs, boulders, rocks, pebbles, sand, dirt, along with other organic items. As Lake Lewis pooled the current was less which allowed the some material to settle to the bottom of the lake. Not all of Lake Lewis made it to the Pacific Ocean. In bowl shape areas, pools and small lakes were formed and would eventually evaporate away until the beds were showing. A huge amount of sand was deposited and uncovered and was bare to the wind. Juniper Dunes is one of those areas.

How does a dune form?  As the sand blows it very seldom gets very high off of the ground due to its weight just a couple of inches. But when it comes down it hits another grain of sand and that is catapulted into the air and this goes on and on until something gets in the way. It could be a small pebble or a twig. The sand will now pile behind the obstruction and start a small mound. If the wind is blowing hard enough the sand will pile up on the windward side and drop over the downwind side (lee). The sand on the lee side is now protected from the wind and does not move so a dune is now forming. The wind side of a dune is longer and shallower while the lee side is steeper and shorter. The longer in time and stronger the wind determines how high the dune becomes. In the Juniper Wilderness Area which is about 5 miles NE where you stand, there are dunes 150’ high. As the sand moves down wind it can grow in height and cover everything in its path plants, shrubs and trees. In years of little wind the dunes do not move which can allow sand loving plants to grow which will help anchor the sand. Juniper Dunes moves NE until the northern winds blow them back south. But the sand is marching further NE every year.

Other Facts

Dunes come in a variety of shapes but the crests usually runs 90 degrees from the wind. Juniper dunes are call parabolic because the ends of the larger dunes points to the wind (see picture). Sand waves can form on the surface of the dunes that can be dramatic when the sun causes shadows.

People have reported that some dunes “sing”. Upon exploring the mystery some scientists studied the claim and found out that some dunes do sing. Remember the lee side of the dune is the steepest and like snow when the weight above cannot be supported an avalanche on the lee side is formed. The scientists say that collisions between sand grains cause the motions of the grains to become synchronized. This causes the outer layer of the dune to vibrate like the cone of a loudspeaker. The particular note depends primarily on the size of the grains. To listen, click on the URL. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/science/25find.html?_r=2

The color of sand is based upon the rock color it eroded from. I personally have seen white from gypsum, red, black, coral and brown from lava rocks. Remember, sand is just a small part of a mountain. The prettiest was in Utah’s red rock area above Zion National Park. As the rock eroded into sand it was blown over a saddle between two hills and on the lee side the dune was formed and it took the color of coral and is now Coral Dunes State Park of Utah. Juniper Dunes contains the furthest northern juniper trees in the US

HOW TO GET THERE

Vehicle choice can change depending on what time of year. Fwd can make it, but I don't necessarily recommend that. I've used a Honda CRV and a Subaru Crosstrek with zero problems. The original CO used a Taurus. YMMV.

Take the Pasco-Kahlotus Highway to Juniper Dunes Road; Go PAST the yellow mailbox, till you see Juniper Dunes Road on the left. Turn north and go to the ORV parking/staging area. It's just past the paved part. If you feel lucky, continue in your vehicle (sand can be soft and treacherous, so 4wd recommended.) to the area of the cache.

I must warn you take your own water. You will walk a short way in the sand to the viewing area and wear high tops if you want to keep the sand out. Hot sand means hot feet so wear socks if needed. While I was in the area I talked to 4 groups about the area and about their sport. Each group was friendly and all offered me one of my favorite beverage-water and most offered something stronger. Take time to meet people and tell them about caching. Remember, if you count all of the grains of sand on the earth, they would not equal all of the stars in the universe!!

REFERENCES

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/25/science/25find.html?_r=2
http://geography.howstuffworks.com/terms-and-associations/sand-dune.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune
BLM, Steve Smith Manager of Juniper Dunes Wilderness Area and ORV area