THE SLEEPING BEAR DUNESBy: Zora W.

THE EFFECTS OF WEATHERING

Did you know that Mechanical Weathering helped in the formation of the Sleeping Bear Dunes? The dunes are made of rocks worn down into sand and deposited by glaciers.

Weathering- The breaking down of the Earth's rocks, soils, minerals and other material.

Mechanical Weathering- The breaking down of rocks into sand or smaller rocks. It is caused by freezing, erosion, and other types of natural decomposition.

THE EFFECTS OF EROSIONGlacier deposits created the dunes, glacial drift wore them away and lake waves wore away the base.

The west side began to collapse, and the loss of the plant cover sped up erosion.

The winds changed the shape of the dune by blowing the sand around and pushing sand off of one side and piling it up on the other side.

“The big dune in Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore was measured in 1962 and again in 1980. In those 18 years, the dune shrank 103 feet. The major forces acting on the dunes--wind, water and ice--will continue to change their features over time, gradually wearing them away.” Continuing water and wind erosion together with gravity may lead to the disappearance of the Sleeping Bear Dunes.

THE EFFECTS OF SOIL

The soil at the Sleeping Bear Dunes is sand. Sand affects the Sleeping Bear Dunes because plants can grow in sand. It also affects the shape of the landform because wind can blow it around.

RESOURCES

http://www.ehow.com/facts_7164184_erosion-sleeping-bear-dunes-michigan_.html

http://www.mccullagh.org/photo/1ds-4/sandstorm-sahara-desert

http://www.nps.gov/slbe/naturescience/plants.htm