World's Most Amazing Cliffs and Fascinating Dunes

Mar 14th, 2009 by nobertbermosa

Explore some of the most desolate and barren regions of the world and discover their fascinating beauty. Here are a handful of the most beautiful sand dunes and cliffs in the world.

Explore some of the most desolate and barren regions of the world and discover their fascinating beauty.

Here are a handful of the most beautiful sand dunes and cliffs in the world.

Amazing Dunes

1. Singing Sand Dunes: Kazakhstan

Image Source

Are you a music lover and at the same time a lover of nature? As the name of the site implies, you will surely be amaze

of the unique characteristic of this wonderful gift of nature. The Singing Dunes are in the Altyn-Emel State National Park,

Kazakhstan's largest national park. The crescent-shaped sand dunes, called barchans, produce a sound described as

roaring, booming, squeaking, or simply as the "Song of the Dunes." This low-pitch rumble, a natural sound phenomenon,

can be as loud as 105 decibels and can last several minutes. The sound accompanies a slumping or avalanching

movement of the sand, usually triggered by wind passing over the dune. Collisions between grains of sand emit surface

elastic waves that, in turn, cause the motions of the grains to become synchronized. The surface of the sand acts as a

loudspeaker, transmitting it through the air.

2. Curonian Spit: Lithuania/Russia

Image Source

This captivating natural wonder which is shared by Lithuania and Russia is one of the many declared World Heritage

Site. The Curonian Spit which is a 98-km long, thin, curved sand-dune spit separates the Curonian Lagoon from the

Baltic Sea. It stretches from the Sambian Peninsula to the south.

Image Source

The width of the spit varies from a minimum of 400 m in Russia to a maximum of 3.8 km in Lithuania. The Curonian

Spit, a famous tourist attraction dotted with several beaches for tourists, is home to the highest moving (drifting) sand

dunes in Europe. Their average height is 35 m, but some attain the height of 60 m.

3. Sossusvlei: Namibia

Image Source

Sossusvlei, one of the most beautiful sand dunes in the world, is located in Namibia - a country in Africa. It is a salt

pan in the central Namib Desert, lying within the Namib-Naukluft National Park. Fed by the Tsauchab River, it is famous

for the high, red sand dunes which surround it, forming a huge sea of sand.

4. Erg Chebbi Dunes: Morocco

Image Source

Exploring the desert is really an awesome experience. One can truly be captivated by its fascinating beauty, like the

Erg Chebbi, which is the only Saharan erg in Morocco. This flat area of desert is 22 km long and 5 km wide. Its dunes

reach a maximum height of 150 meters. It is located roughly 40 kilometers south-east of Erfoud.

Fascinating Cliffs

1. Bayanzag Cliffs: Gobi Desert

Image Source

The panoramic view of the Flaming Cliffs is best enjoyed during sunset when its beautiful red sandstone changes

to a dark red. The Bayanzag or "'Flaming" Cliffs is a region within the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, in which important fossil

finds have been made. The area is most famous for yielding the first discovery of dinosaur eggs. Other finds in the

area include specimens of Velociraptor .The rock gives off a glowing orange color, hence the nickname.

2. Cliffs of Moher: Ireland

From the desert, explore the vast ocean and discover some of the most magnificent views of the sea.

Image Source

Located in county Clare, the Cliffs of Moher are amongst the most impressive places to see in Ireland. The cliffs

consist mainly of beds of Namurian shale and sandstone, with the oldest rocks being found at the bottom of the cliffs.

One can see 300 million year old river channels cutting through the base of the cliffs. There are many animals living

on the cliffs, most of them birds.

3. Vestmanna Birdcliffs: Faroe Island

Image Source

The Vestmanna Birdcliffs are huge cliffs located on the Westman Islands, in the north of the Faroe Islands, off the

southern coast of Iceland. Only the largest island, Heimaey, is inhabited. You will not only be fascinated by the

magnificent and huge cliffs but also by the hundreds of puffins all over Vestmanna Birdcliffs in Faroe Island.

Image source

4. White Cliffs of Dover: England, UK

Image Source

Last on our list, but certainly not the least, is the White Cliffs of Dover located in England. These are cliffs which form

part of the British coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France. They are part of the North Downs formation. The cliff

face, which reaches up to 350 feet high, owes its striking façade to its composition of chalk accentuated by streaks of

black flint. The cliffs spread east and west from the town of Dover in the county of Kent, an ancient and still important

English port.

Hope you enjoyed seeing these natural wonders. Thank You!

For more amazing geological formations see

World's Most Impressive Ice Formations

Amazing Animal-shaped Rock Formations

Bizarre Rock Formations From Around the World

Unusual Rock Formations That Resemble Humans

World's Most Impressive Rock Formations

For more unique and beautiful tourist attractions from around the world see the ff;

Distinctively Unique Islands in the World

The World’s Most Attractive Atolls

The Top Five Best Beaches in the World

20 Spectacular Natural and Man-made Wonders From Around the World

Earth’s Amazing Landscape: Natural Wonders Worth Seeing

World’s Magnificent Castles: Perfect Tourist Destinations

For related article see

World's Most Well Preserved Forests

Peru’s Natural and Manmade Wonders: World Class Tourist Destinations

World’s Most Beautiful Reefs

Grandest Canyons From Around the World

World’s Most Beautiful and Unique Valleys

Countries With Unique Shapes

World’s Most Amazing Cliffs and Fascinating Dunes

10 Unique Natural Springs in the Philippines


nobertbermosa

Written by nobertbermosa
I am a Secondary School Head Teacher III and currently enrolled for my doctorate degree at Araullo University. I also contribute to Triond and Factoid

Rate this Article:

Rating: 5.0/5 (4 votes cast)

Add new comment

* You must be logged in order to leave comments, please Sign in or join us.

Comments

No comments yet, be the first to comment on this article.

Related Content