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Black Rock Desert, Nevada
Photograph by Jack Dykinga/Getty Images
Minerals, algae, and cyanobacteria give this geyser in Nevada's Black Rock Desert its brilliant colors.
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Quadbikes, Dumont Dunes, California
Photograph by Kevin Morris/Getty Images
Lacking virtually any wildlife that could be harmed with its patrons, the off-highway-vehicle recreation area in Dumont Dunes, California, offers big thrills for dune riders of all types.
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Ash Samat Sand Dunes
Photograph by Stephen Alvarez
The towering ridge of a sand dune in the Arabian Desert points to the afternoon sun. The Sahara, Arabian, Iranian, and Thar deserts all connect together to form a 6,000-mile (9,600-kilometer) expanse of drylands in North Africa.
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Dunes in Omani Interior
Photograph by Stephen Alvarez
This crescent-shaped ridge of sand dune in Oman was formed by strong trade winds that form a smooth hill facing the wind (left) and concave slipface on the back.
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Late Afternoon in Desert
Photograph by James L. Stanfield
Ergs are vast expanses of sand dunes like this area in Oman. Sometimes they are also called sand seas because the dunes look and act like very slowly moving ocean waves.
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Simpson Desert
Photograph by Medford Taylor
A rippled white dune glows under a blue sky in central Australia's Simpson Desert. Rainfall in this desolate land is less than 7.8 inches (200 millimeters) per year.
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