When asked to choose a geographic location to study and explain for the remainder of the semester, I immediately began to think of locations that have diverse geographic systems. This was to ensure that I would be able to explain the many geographic topics that we will be discussing throughout the course of this semester with one landscape. I also knew I wanted to choose a location that I have visited and wished to learn more about. With this in mind, I decided to choose the Great Sand Dunes National Park, complete with massive mountain ranges, a rift vally, a desert-like atmosphere, and sand dunes it begs the question of how each system works in harmony with one another to create the landscape seen today. Over the weeks to come my goal is to explain this question. As can be noticed by the image posted above, this area is rich in many different geographic features which can be studied to explain the rare and beautiful creation of this diverse landscape. An example of this is the Sangre de Christo mountains which form the magnificent backdrop for the dunes. This mountain range along with many other geographic features play significant roles in the creation of the dunes as will be explained in posts to come.
