Building a New Foredune

 

A spring walk on the beach revealed the building of a new foredune on the shore of Lake Michigan. Only time will tell if this dune will grow or be spread out inland by the winds that built it. 

The Marram grass that grows just inland from the open beach has taken hold, and it keeps the sand that blows across it in place where it piles up. Over time, the sand will pile up and form a small dune. If the grass can grow through the sand, it will continue to keep the sand in place until it reaches 20, 50, or 100 feet in height. This all depends on how much sand is brought to the beach by the waves. 

The Indiana Dunes National Park has many areas of beach that are starving - meaning more sand blows inland than is replenished by the waves. This is one of the reasons the dunes are eroding at such an alarming rate (it's not from people walking on the sand).

   

 While waling through the paths of the dunes, there are so many patterns that can be found in the sand; footprints of humans, animals, birds, insects, are all common to see. Other items create patterns as well, in this case, a single blade of grass has bent over and touched the sand. As the wind blows, the tip drags and makes a mark in the sand. Because the grass is rooted in the sand, it does not change length and becomes the radius of the circle in the sand.