Image A Sand Tufa Sunset from iluvmtns2

To really see these little wonders, view on the black screen. These amazing formations are called Sand Tufas, they are not the big tower Tufas in and around Mono lake, But further from the lake which long ago was under water. The sand has blowen away to reveal these small to tiny Tufas. I had to lay flat on my stomach with my camera at ground level to shoot into and through these Sand Tufas to capture the last of evening light shinning through them. The one Tufa right in front of me was maybe 9 to 12 inches high and the taller one maybe 20 to 25 inches high. It was all a matter of perspective that makes these tiny Sand Tufas look so big. I really have to thank Marc Adamus for his wonderful talent of seeing things in ways I had not thought of and his advice on how to shoot these amazing little Tufas during one of his workshops. More information on how they are formed is below. How are sand tufas formed? Similar in appearance to the more famous calcium carbonate tufa towers along Mono Lake's shoreline, these sand tufas formed quite differently. Beneath the surface of the ancient lake, calcium-rich groundwater rose up through brine-saturated sand layers, forming cemented pillars of sand. Later, the lake waters receded, leaving this area high and dry some distance back from the water's edge. Then wind eroded away the sand layers, exposing fluted sand tufas which resemble the columns of some ancient ruined city. Only somewhat protected by their top harder layer, these delicate formations are being continually weathered completely away, and new ones are exposed.

Thanks to iluvmtns2 for your images with title "A Sand Tufa Sunset", and this photo copyright by iluvmtns2