Ecoregions of
North Dakota
and
South Dakota

44. Nebraska Sand Hills

44a. Nebraska Sand Hills

Level IV Ecoregion

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The Nebraska Sand Hills ecoregion is the largest grass-stabilized dune region in the Western Hemisphere. This "sand sea" formed in the last 8,000 years, following the Pleistocene glaciations. The region is largely treeless and lacks tilled agriculture. Precipitation passes through the porous sands to continually recharge ground water, resulting in interdune areas of wetlands, lakes, and streams with a relatively constant annual discharge. The Sand Hills are an important recharge area for the Ogallala aquifer.

Photo by Jim Swinehart, University of Nebraska

The profile of wavelike dunes on the horizon and a broad expanse of sky characterize this northern outpost of the Nebraska Sand Hills. Cattle ranching is the predominant land use in the region. The prairie grass associations are specific to the sandy environment, but the fragile vegetative cover is susceptible to blowouts, prompting ranchers to employ rotational grazing strategies to maintain it.

Physiography

Area (square miles): 488
Elevation/Local Relief (feet): 2900-3500/120-300
Sand sheets and extensive fields of barchanoid, parabolic, and domal sand dunes. High water table, interdune wetlands.

Geology

Surficial Material and Bedrock
Eolian sand over Miocene soft sandstone.

Soil

Order (Great Groups)
Entisols (Ustipsamments)
Common Soil Series
Valentine
Temperature/Moisture Regimes
Mesic/Ustic

Climate

Precipitation - Mean annual (inches)
16-17
Frost Free - Mean annual (days)
140-150
Mean Temp. - Jan. min/max; July min/max, (°F)
9/36;58/91

Potential Natural Vegetation

Sand associated grasses: Sand bluestem, little bluestem, prairie sandreed. Big bluestem and switchgrass in wetter interdune areas.

Land Use and Land Cover

Cattle ranching, some hayland. Grassland cover.

Ecoregions of North Dakota and South Dakota

Ecoregions of
North Dakota
and
South Dakota