Sand Mountain, Nevada

Steven Dutch, Professor Emeritus, Natural and Applied Sciences, Universityof Wisconsin - Green Bay

Sand Mountain is a dune over 100 meters high located just off U.S. 50 southeast of Fallon.

The map above shows clearly how the sand accumulates near a saddle as air flow funnels through the saddle, loses velocity, and drops its load.

	Unlike desert pavement, sand dunes tend to recover from damage pretty rapidly. So why not let folks play on one?


	Left: This distant view of Sand Mountain shows how the sand accumulates near a saddle as air flow funnels through the saddle, loses velocity, and drops its load.
	This view from the eastern side of the range shows that some sand makes it through the gap.
	Left and Below: Ruins of the Pony Express Station at Sand Mountain. The placard notes sadly that most of the destruction is not due to the effects of time and weather but to people climbing on the walls.


	Below: Fourmile Flat, a large playa remnant of pluvial Lake Lahontan.


Above: volcanic rocks of the Stillwater Range	Below: Lake Lahontan shorelines near Sand Mountain

Created 14 July 2003, Last Update 06 June 2020