Ethiopia
Sand Origin
Dango, Tulu Kapi region
Local Sand Trivia
Well-formed whirlwinds carrying dust and sand high up in the air are regularly seen in the dry Ethiopian landscape. Unlike tornadoes, they form under calm conditions from the ground up. With increasing wind sand grains start to vibrate, then to saltate or leap which loosens more sand and breaks off particles suspended up in the air. Dust devils a.k.a. sand pillars, sand augers, desert jinns, and willy-willies are part of many myths and form in warm barren areas around the world, as on Mars.Â
