Abstract
SOME time ago, whilst reading an account in NATURE of very ingenious and interesting experiments by Prof. G. H. Darwin on sand ripples, my memory was recalled to some very beautiful sand ripples caused by the action of wind, seen by another person and myself on the west coast of Ireland, near Bundoran. The locality was a sand ridge twenty or thirty feet above high-water mark, and beyond the influence of either sea or river action; the ripples extended over a space of twenty yards or more. At the time there was a fresh breeze, with frequent squalls, blowing across this ridge. This ripples moved before the wind at the rate of about a foot in three or four minutes, but faster during the squalls, retaining all the time (I watched them an hour or more) perfect uniformity of shape and size. The distances were roughly measured by sticking up in the sand bits of wood at, as nearly as could be guessed, one foot apart, in a line with the direction of the wind. The ripples were about three inches from summit to summit, and the depth of trough three quarters of an inch.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
RAE, J. Wind Sand Ripples. Nature 29, 357 (1884). https://doi.org/10.1038/029357c0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/029357c0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.