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The Most Distinct Thai Sand Dune

The Most Distinct Thai Sand Dune

The Most DistinctThai Sand DuneThe sand dune and coastal dune area was caused by natural phenomena changed during late Pleistocene Epoch or at the end of Ice Age about 1.8 million or 14,000 years ago. Ice covering all over the world started melting; as a result the sea level was lower than the current level. In the Holocene Epoch or about 14,000 years ago, ice around the world began melting; the sea level was therefore higher than the present one leading to transgression. Consequently, the existing land along the shore, river, estuary and coastal plain areas were flooded by sea water until reaching Khao Poet, KhaoTham Thong, Khao Mon and KhaoLaemYai. A large number of limestone mountains became islands. Afterwards, about 1,500 years before present, the sea water regressed to the current level. Two transgressions and regressions of sea water caused sand dunes and barrier islands blocking some sea water to be behind the sand dunes leading to lagoons later.Subsequently, monsoon trough crosses the coastal areas or strong wind blows frequently passing these areas. In addition to this, the front of sea is open and has no island barriers. As the beach has a little slope, when the sea water recedes, the beach will be wide. Besides, sand called silt is very fine and light. While walking on the sand, the noise may be generated by friction between the grains, which are blown by the wind leading to coastal dunes or sand dunes.After lagoons were filled up with more fossils, they became peat or peat swamps, where marine clay was found underlying resulting in acidic soils. Peat swamps at deep sea waterwere dominated by peat swamp forests and a habitat of aquatic lives and wildlife. Currently, peat swamps are very shallow and brackish water becomes freshwater;cajuput trees are therefore found. Prominent sand dunes are along the shore between Khao Poet in Ban Phu, Mu 5 and KhaoLaemYai in Ban Tham Thong, Mu 3, Pak Khlong sub-district, Pathio district, Chumphon province. Furthermore, close to sand dunes there are more tourist attractions surveyed, publicized and developed as well asundeveloped by the project such as fish village activities, crab bank, year-round blooming wild orchids of two species (not developed in NongYai Chai peat swamp) in 12-m-deep peat swamps, Kao Hong Cave at Khao Mon and other undeveloped caves, including dusky leaf monkeys, boat trips around KoWiang to watch oriental pied hornbills (hornbills can be watched in a deep forest), mountain goat watchingin the morning at a fish basket near KoWiang or coral reef diving and watching, Japanese warship, etc.