It looks like Europe has started turning into a new sahara desert. The Great Dune of Pyla is the tallest sand dune in Europe. It is located in the Arcachon Bay area in France.
The dune has a volume of about 60,000,000 m³, measuring around 1,640 ft (500 m) wide from east to west and 1,9 miles (3 km) in length from north to south. The dune moves relentlessly towards the interior of the country and gradually covers buildings and roads.
(thanks Stanley)
2 comment(s):
I love that place it's a great spot to power kite, but "Europe has started turning into a new sahara desert"? The dune is pretty old so it hasn't just started and given the rate at which it is moving it would take many thousands of years to create it's own desert. And even then it wouldn't be a desert since a desert is more than just sand.
That satellite image shows pretty clearly how it is formed. The spit is formed by longshore drift. Sand washed beyond the end of the spit forms a sand bank in the ocean off the end of the spit. Storms then wash the sand from the bank onto the shore and the prevailing wind moves the sand up the dune causing it to spread inland. Eventually the spit will probably be broken by erosion or will extend either way the sand will then be dumped elswhere.
Gareth is absolutely right, This thing has been there for thousands of years. I've played on it often as a child.
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