Kelso Dunes, California

Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve covers around 45 square miles of desert. The quartz and feldspar sand travels with prevailing winds creating an ocean-like landscape of meandering wave-like dunes. The tallest dune in the Kelso area reaches around 650ft from the base of the sand, making it the second tallest dune in California. Vegetation holds terrain together and paces the movement of the dune's erosion and wind travel.

The dunes also have a booming or singing sound when winds kick up and sand slides down the face. At night descending, each step was like walking on strings of a musical instrument vibrating a low-end sound. Moisture is locked into the sand so surface vibrations are amplified and waveform vibrations shake the sand — conditions need to be dry on the surface but wet within.