An expert treatise on the origin and evolution of dunes, this classic work was used by NASA in studying sand dunes on Mars and is appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students. The first book to deal exclusively with the behavior of blown sand and related land forms, its accessible style makes it an enduring reference more than half a century after its initial publication.The author studied the sands of North Africa for many years before World War II and is recognized as a leading authority on the subject. His three-part treatment begins with his wind-tunnel experiments, which he conducted to investigate the mechanism of sand transport. First, an account of the observed movement of the individual grains, followed by a chapter on the ground wind and its dependence on the type of surface over which it blows, form a comprehensive view of the interaction between wind and sand. Part Two considers small-scale surface phenomena, such as ripples and ridges, and the closely related subject of size-grading the grains.The third part uses the foregoing results to explain the growth and movement of dunes in general, and the peculiar characteristics of the two main dune types. A method of determining the internal structure of accumulated sand illuminates both the sand's carrying power for motor transport and its water-retention potential. A final chapter, derived from firsthand knowledge, examines the intriguing subject of "singing sand."

Introduction: The Nature of the ProblemPart I. The Physics of Grain Movement 1. Sand and Dust 2. The Behaviour of Sand Grains in the Air 3. Wind-Tunnel Observations 4. The Surface Wind 5. The Effect of Sand Movement on the Surface Wind 6. Confirmatory Measurements in the Desert 7. Threshold Wind Speed and Size of Sand Grain 8. Summary of the Physics of Grain MovementPart II. Small-Scale Effects. Grain Size Distribution. Surface Ripples and Ridges 9. Grading Diagrams 10. Grading Changes in Non-Uniform Sand 11. Surface Ripples and RidgesPart III. Large-Scale Effects. Sand Accumulation. Dunes, Internal Structure, Etc. 12. Conditions for the Growth of a Sand Surface 13. Sand Shadows and Sand Drifts. General Factors on Which Dune Shape Depends 14. The Barchan Dune 15. The Longitudinal or Seif Dune. The Whaleback 16. The Internal Structure of Sand Deposits 17. ?Singing Sands?