Dune leapfrogging is deciphered

Physicists have unraveled how certain wind-driven sand dunes in Morocco and Peru apparently tunnel through slower dunes.

SAND SLAM. In a computer simulation, a windblown dune overtakes and seems to pass through a larger dune. Schwämmle et al./Nature

Barchan dunes are massive, crescent-shaped sand piles that move across wind-swept deserts at speeds up to tens of meters per year.