Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/great-sand-dunes-national-park-and-preserve

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How tall is Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve?750 feet (230 m)
2. What is the location?San Luis Valley, south-central Colorado, United States
3. What is the estimated sand volume?Over 5 billion cubic meters (1.2 cubic miles)
4. What are the tallest sand dunes in North America?They reach up to 750 feet tall in Great Sand Dunes National Park.
5. How do the dunes in Great Sand Dunes National Park form?Winds lift sand from eroded mountains, deposit it when slowed by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and build dunes over thousands of years.

Aeolian Processes: Geological processes involving wind, such as erosion, transportation, and deposition of sediment.
Intermontane Basin: A low-lying area of land situated between mountain ranges.
Riparian Zones: Areas of vegetation that grow along the banks of rivers, streams, or lakes.
Geomorphic Feature: A natural landform or physical feature of the Earth's surface.