sand ripples
Dune surface waves
Sand ripples are the small, regularly spaced ridges that form on sandy surfaces when wind or water flows across them.
The pattern emerges from the interaction between moving fluid and loose grains—each ripple creates turbulence that shapes the next.
You see them on beaches, dunes, and riverbeds: The sand ripples caught the morning light.
- dunesWind-formed sand ridges
- desert landscapeArid region's natural scenery
- wavesTraveling energy disturbances
- wave actionMotion of ocean swells
- ebb and flowCyclical rise and decline
wind · wind patterns · beach · desert · texture · undulating · grooves · patterns · tide · ocean floor · shore · erosion · grain · fine grain · sediment · crests · troughs · coastline
- natural beautyrock formations, ice crystals, snowflakes, spiderwebs, coral
- desert landformsmesa, dune, dunes, butte, erg
- dunesblowout, crests, dune formation, coastal dunes, erg
- desertdune, dunes, ergs, erg, Sahara
- landformsmountain, cliff, valley, volcano, mountain ridge
- sandgrains, dunes, erg, grit, silica
surface texture
sand ripplespolished surface
Smooth, lustrous exterior
level ground · flat surface · flat terrain · hardpan · wet sand
sand, sands, sandy, sandier, sandiest, sandiness, sanded, sanding, ripple