What are Dunes and Swales?
Dune: a hill or ridge of sand piled up by the wind Swale: a low-lying or depressed and often wet stretch of land From Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary Dune and swale complexes are a series of roughly parallel, sandy ridges and low, wet tracts of land. In Indiana, they are formed partly from the irregular cycles of high and low water levels of Lake Michigan. Past glacier movement, wind (eolian processes) and weather play an integral part of the formation of the dunes and swales as well. According to the Michigan Natural Features Inventory, there are four distinct zones within a dune and swale complex. They are: the beach and foredunes, open interdunal swales, forested dune ridges, and the forested swales. Each zone is characterized by the vegetation (or lack of) found and the amount of sand accumulation. A diverse mosaic of black oak savanna, prairie and wetlands can be found within a dune and swale community. The size of the complexes can be quite expansive. In fact, the dunes along the Gr
