Algodones Dunes | |
|---|---|
 The dunes from space | |
 Interactive map of Algodones Dunes | |
| Coordinates:32°55′N115°3′W / 32.917°N 115.050°W /32.917; -115.050 | |
| Location | Sonoran Desert,Imperial County, California, United States |
| Dimensions | |
| • Length | 45 miles (72 km) |
| • Width | 6 miles (9.7 km) |
TheAlgodones Dunes is a large sand dune field, orerg, located in the southeastern portion of theU.S. state ofCalifornia, near the border withArizona and theMexican state ofBaja California. The field is approximately 45 miles (72 km) long by 6 miles (9.7 km) wide and extends along a northwest-southeast line that correlates to the prevailing northerly and westerly wind directions. The name "Algodones Dunes" refers to the entire geographic feature, while the administrative designation for that portion managed by theBureau of Land Management is theImperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area (sometimes called theGlamis Dunes). In 1966, Imperial Sand Hills was designated as aNational Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.[1] The Algodones Dunes are split into many different sections. These sections includeGlamis, Gordon's Well, Buttercup, Midway, and Patton's Valley. Although the Arabic-derivedSpanish wordalgodones translates to "cotton plants", the origin of the toponym is unknown.
The dunes are located west of theChocolate Mountains inImperial County, and are crossed byInterstate 8 andState Route 78, which passes through the old train stop ofGlamis at the eastern edge of the dune field. The northwestern end is located at33°8′53″N115°19′29″W / 33.14806°N 115.32472°W /33.14806; -115.32472 about 11 miles (18 km) east ofCalipatria, California, and the southeastern end is located at32°41′4″N114°46′7″W / 32.68444°N 114.76861°W /32.68444; -114.76861 nearLos Algodones inMexico, about 6 miles (9.7 km) west ofYuma, Arizona. The dunes are also now separated at the southern end by agricultural land from the much more extensiveGran Desierto de Altar, to which they once were linked as an extreme peripheral "finger". The only significant human-made structures in the area are theAll-American Canal that cuts across the southern portion from east to west and the Coachella Canal on the western edge.
Because theColorado River flowed through very flat terrain, the course of the river varied over a wide area, being periodically diverted in one direction or another by silt deposits remaining after floods. Sometimes the river flowed into theGulf of California, as it did until irrigation in the Imperial Valley and Mexicali Valley dried it up before reaching there; other times it turned westward toward theSalton Sink. Each time the Salton Sink received the river flow, a large freshwater lake calledLake Cahuilla formed. The last Lake Cahuilla covered much of theImperial,Coachella and Mexicali Valleys as late as 1450. The most popular theory holds that the Algodones Dunes were formed from windblown beach sands of Lake Cahuilla. The prevailing westerly and northwesterly winds carried the sand eastward from the old lake shore to their present location which continues to migrate southeast by approximately one foot per year.[2]
The dunes have frequently been a barrier to human movement in the area. Foot travelers frequently diverted south into Mexico, and in 1877 theSouthern Pacific Railroad was diverted north to avoid the dunes, but in 1915 ColonelEd Fletcher built a woodenplank road across the dunes to prove that cars could cross the dunes and to connectSan Diego withYuma, Arizona. This trail eventually became part ofInterstate 8. DuringWorld War II, the U.S. military conducted desert warfare training on the dunes, which were part of theCalifornia-Arizona Maneuver Area. People have been driving on the dunes for recreation almost since vehicles first reached the area, which may have been the proving ground for the firstdune buggy, a modifiedFord Model A. Off-road driving surged following World War II when surplusJeeps became available to the public.[2]
Environmental protection groups (notably theCenter for Biological Diversity[3]) and off-highway vehicle advocacy groups (notably theAmerican Sand Association) have filed numerous petitions and lawsuits to either restrict or re-open vehicular access to the dunes. Most of the dunes located north ofState Route 78 are off-limits to vehicular traffic due to designation as theNorth Algodones Dunes Wilderness. The federal government protected these 25,818 acres (10,448 ha) in the early 1980s and closed them to vehicles as part of the 1994California Desert Protection Act (Public Law 103-433). Much of the area south of this road remains open for off-highway vehicle use, though a lawsuit in 2000 closed over 49,000 acres (20,000 ha) to vehicular access, leaving about 40% of the recreation area open to vehicles. In 2014, a significant portion (approximately 40,000 acres) of this area was re-opened for vehicular use. It is the largest sand dunes open to off-highway vehicle use in the United States.[4] The site's large sand dunes are a preferred terrain for manyoff-road vehicle owners.Motorcycles,sandrails,ATVs, and4-wheel-drive vehicles are commonlydriven across the dunes. Open camping is permitted, and on major winter holidays, as many as 150,000 people can visit in a single weekend.[5] These recreationalists bring an economic boom during the cooler months to the nearby towns ofBrawley, California,Yuma, Arizona andEl Centro, California.
According to theA. W. Kuchler U.S.Potential natural vegetation Types, the Algodones Dunes would have aDesert (vegetation absent) (46) vegetation type and a Great BasinShrubland (7) vegetation form.[6] Research indicates that there is significant reduction in the diversity and abundance of species in dune areas subject to heavy ORV traffic.[7] A two-year survey of dune insects revealed over 1100 species were present, at least 60 of which were new to science.[8]
As they are the largest dune ecosystem in theUnited States, there are many species which areendemic to the Algodones system, so the region overall is biologically unique on a global scale. The Algodones were once part of an even greater dune system that now resides primarily in the Mexican state ofSonora, with a few extensions also in southwesternArizona, especially in the vicinity ofYuma. Accordingly, it is likely that many of the species presently known only from the Algodones also occur in theGran Desierto de Altar in Mexico, but this is difficult to ascertain without biological surveys of the latter area.
Among insects, there are dozens of species found only in Algodones or its neighboring areas, including:
In August 2006, federal wildlife officials decided not to list these species under the Endangered Species Act, due primarily to insufficient documentation of their distribution andphenology; biological survey work is planned to address this.[12]
The dunes were used to film parts ofRoad to Morocco,The Flight of the Phoenix,The Garden of Allah (1936 film),Tobruk,Stargate,Resident Evil: Extinction,Jumanji: The Next Level and theTatooine scenes inReturn of the Jedi. John Ford made the 1934 version ofThe Lost Patrol (1934 film) here. Outside of movies, the dunes also appear in the opening sequence of the TV seriesKung Fu, and were the filming location for the music video ofDeftones' 2003 singleMinerva.[13]
According to theKöppen climate classification system, the Algodones Dunes have aHot desert climate (BWh). According to theUnited States Department of Agriculture, the PlantHardiness zone is 10a with an average annual extreme minimum temperature of 32.7 °F (0.4 °C).[14]
| Climate data for 6 S Glamis, Imperial County, CA | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 69.1 (20.6) | 73.0 (22.8) | 79.4 (26.3) | 86.4 (30.2) | 94.9 (34.9) | 103.2 (39.6) | 107.1 (41.7) | 106.4 (41.3) | 101.5 (38.6) | 90.1 (32.3) | 77.3 (25.2) | 67.8 (19.9) | 88.1 (31.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 43.3 (6.3) | 47.2 (8.4) | 51.8 (11.0) | 57.5 (14.2) | 65.4 (18.6) | 72.9 (22.7) | 79.3 (26.3) | 80.9 (27.2) | 74.6 (23.7) | 62.3 (16.8) | 51.0 (10.6) | 42.5 (5.8) | 60.8 (16.0) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.46 (12) | 0.49 (12) | 0.39 (9.9) | 0.07 (1.8) | 0.04 (1.0) | 0.01 (0.25) | 0.20 (5.1) | 0.43 (11) | 0.24 (6.1) | 0.27 (6.9) | 0.16 (4.1) | 0.52 (13) | 3.28 (83) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 39.5 | 37.2 | 33.0 | 26.7 | 24.3 | 21.6 | 29.0 | 33.3 | 31.1 | 31.3 | 34.3 | 39.2 | 31.7 |
| Averagedew point °F (°C) | 31.9 (−0.1) | 33.9 (1.1) | 35.7 (2.1) | 35.8 (2.1) | 40.4 (4.7) | 44.0 (6.7) | 56.2 (13.4) | 60.5 (15.8) | 53.8 (12.1) | 43.6 (6.4) | 35.4 (1.9) | 30.8 (−0.7) | 41.9 (5.5) |
| Source: PRISM Climate Group[15] | |||||||||||||
Year designated: 1966
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Retrieved on February 18, 2007.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
