Whirlwinds stronger and larger than any other
(The Guardian Argentina)

`Dust devils´ in the Andes are thought to be strong enough to carry large crystals 5km from the salt pan where they are formedHigh in the Andes, on the border between Chile and Argentina, lie some mysterious dunes. The Salar de Gorbea, as the dunes are known, contain huge needle-shaped crystals, up to 27cm long. No ordinary wind could have lifted these giant grains into this high-level basin, so how were the dunes created? Kathleen Benison, a geologist from West Virginia University, in the US, thinks they may be the handiwork of the largest and strongest whirlwinds on Earth. Continue reading...