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Imagery and meteorological data from April 2021 to December 2021, Grand Falls Dune Field, Arizona

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Catalog Last Checked: August 01, 2026 at 03:10 AM | Dataset Last Updated: August 23, 2022 at 12:00 AM
Grand Falls dune field (GFDF) is located on the Navajo Nation, ~70 km NE of Flagstaff, AZ. This active dune field displays a range of morphologies, including barchans, smaller dunes, and ripples, and is bimodal in composition. The felsic component is likely derived from the Little Colorado River, and the mafic component (basaltic grains) is locally sourced from nearby cinder cones [1]. GFDF is an excellent analog site for both active dunes on Mars and other planetary bodies that have dune-like features (e.g., Venus and Titan). We have set up a meteorological station within the dune field that records temperature, barometric pressure, relative humidity, wind direction, wind speed, solar radiation, and precipitation every 15 minutes during the windy season and every hour during the calmer months. Nine BlazeVideo cameras have been set up surrounding an active ripple field and the meteorological station. Images are taken at a set time to record sand movement. Data presented here span from April 22, 2021 to December 7, 2021. [1] Hayward, R. K. et al. (2010) 2nd Int. Plan. Dunes Wrkshp., Abstract #2004.

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