Stop #2

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah

At 6,000' the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park has 2,000 acres of sand dunes created from pinkish sand blown from the surrounding cliffs. The same iron oxides and other minerals that color Utah's red rock country are also responsible for these colorful sand dunes, the only major dune field on the Colorado Plateau today. At 6,000 feet, these dunes are the result of winds funneling through a constricting notch between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains (south of the park). That increases the wind velocity, a phenomenon known as the "Venturi effect." Once the wind reaches the open valley, its velocity decreases, and it deposits sand in this open space. Another wind blowing east between Moccasin and Harris mountains adds to the boiling effect as currents merge and drop sand. Formations found at Coral Pink include barchans, parabolas, and a star dune (caused by winds coming from several directions).