Kelso Dunes, also known as the Kelso Dune Field, is the largest field of eolian sand deposits

in the Mojave Desert. The region is protected by the Mojave National Preserve and is located
near the town of Baker, San Bernardino County, California, and the Preserve Visitor Center.[1]
The dune field covers 45 square miles (120 km2) and includes migrating dunes, vegetationstabilized dunes, sand sheets, and sand ramps. The tallest dunes rise up to 650 feet (200 m)
above the surrounding terrain.

Contents

1 Geology

2 Geography

3 Access

4 Endemic Species

5 See also

6 References

7 External links

Geology

Sand from the Kelso Dunes

The dunes are composed predominantly of light-colored quartz and feldspar, most likely
eroded from the granitics of the San Bernardino Mountains to the southwest. Magnetite and
amphibole can also be found, often accumulating at the dune crests.
Kelso Dunes represent part of a much larger sand transport system, which includes the nearby
Devils Playground region. The composition and morphology of the sand grains indicate that
most originated from the Mojave River sink near Afton Canyon, which lies to the west of the
dunes' current location. The sand has accumulated at the southeastern end of the Soda LakeKelso basin, where the Granite Mountains and Providence Mountains form a barrier to
prevailing winds. At present, only the area around the Mojave River sink and the westernmost

parts of Devil's Playground are receiving new sand through this system; sand is no longer
accumulating at Kelso Dunes itself.

Geography
The Kelso Dunes are composed of five stacked sets of dunes, each set corresponding to a
period of climate change over the last 25,000 years. During dry climate episodes, a decrease
in stabilizing vegetation exposed surface sand to wind erosion, which ultimately brought the
sand to the dunes (most of the eastern part of the Kelso dunes was formed when nearby Soda
Lake and Silver Lake dried into their current playas). However, once the sand was emplaced,
vegetation began to grow, locking much of it into place.
The Kelso Dunes are also notable for the phenomenon known as singing sand, or "booming
dunes". Enthusiasts typically climb to the top of the dunes and slide down slowly, generating
a low-frequency rumble that can be both felt and heard. This effect has also been noted at the
Eureka Dunes in California, Sand Mountain in Nevada, and the Booming Dunes in the Namib
Desert, Africa. The booming is much more pronounced when the dunes are extremely dry.

Access

Hiking to the top

Kelso Dunes are closed to off-road vehicles, but are open to hikers. The trailhead is at the end
of a three mile (5 km) graded dirt road splitting from Kelbaker Road. This road can be
accessed from both Interstate 15 (at Baker) and Interstate 40 (east of Barstow). The dunes
themselves lie just southwest of the Kelso ghost town and the Park's Visitor Center located in
the historic Kelso Depot, Restaurant and Employees Hotel.[2]

Endemic Species
Like many southern California dune systems, the Kelso dunes have a number of endemic
animal species. The list includes at least ten species of insect, such as the Kelso Dunes Giant
Sand Treader (Macrobaenetes kelsoensis, a species of camel cricket), the Kelso Dunes
Jerusalem Cricket (Ammopelm