dune-du-pillat desert/sahara france

We have been able to believe that it is the Sahara Dunes. But you can imagine not! ↓ By cons I do not think you would have imagined that this place in our dear country, France. Indeed, this dune is located on the edge of the forest of the Landes de Gascogne, at the entrance of Arcachon. Can be already heard, this is the Dune du Pilat. Wondering how this dune probably over 100 m high she could well appear. Well the story of the sand grains in the millions of years ... Produced by the degradation of the mountains (Pyrenees, Massif Central), the sand is transported by rivers to the sea. On the coast, it is swept away by the waves which then deposit the sand on the beaches. He then ripped off by the sea breeze and transported to the interior. This is encountering an obstacle such as vegetation, it can build up and form a dune. Thus, the Dune du Pilat moves erratically between 1-5 m per year towards the forest. Every year dozens of trees thus find themselves buried under the sand of Pilat. Despite numerous past attempts to stabilize the Dune du Pilat remains mobile and "roll" on itself. Today, its fixation is no longer considered. His progress is inevitable and any action taken will limit the Advanced dune. Its movement is likely to continue forever as long as the wind will bring sand ...