star dune

A pyramidal sand dune with three or more radiating arms, formed where winds blow from multiple directions. Star dunes are the tallest dune type — some in the Sahara exceed 1,500 feet — and unlike barchans and seif dunes, they do not migrate. They grow in place, accumulating sand from every direction, their arms extending and retreating with the shifting winds. From the air, their shape is unmistakable: a central peak with ridges reaching outward like the points of a star.