These sand-swept images show the ghostly remains of what was once a mineral-rich mining community. In its heyday, the town of Kolmanskop, Namibia, was home to about 700 families. Now all that remains are empty homes filled with sand, while cast-off items such as bathtubs are scattered about the surrounding area. Over time, the sand of the stunning dunes that encircle the town of Kolmanskop has been blown towards the abandoned residences, coating everything from streets to the interiors of houses and workshops. Here: Kolmankop, an abandoned mining town in Namibia. (Photo by David Ogden/Caters News)

High winds blow sand across the highway near the original north shore of Owens Lake, now miles from the nearest pool of water, on May 5, 2007 near Lone Pine, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

A model in Mongolia costumes prepares backstage in Xiangshawan Desert, also called Sounding Sand Desert on July 18, 2013 in Ordos of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China. Xiangshawan is China's famous tourist resort in the desert. It is located along the middle section of Kubuqi Desert on the south tip of Dalate League under Ordos City. Sliding down from the 110-metre-high, 45-degree sand hill, running a course of 200 metres, the sands produce the sound of automobile engines, a natural phenomenon that nobody can explain. (Photo by Feng Li)

Workers unload baskets of sand from ships in Gabtoli Launch Ghat, Dhaka, Bangladesh in the first decade of February 2025. (Photo by Rakibul alam Khan/Solent News)

Eduardo Alan of Argentina and Pampa Racing gets his Yamaha motorbike stuck in the sand during stage five of the 2012 Dakar Rally from Chilechito to Fiambala on January 5, 2012 in Fiambala, Argentina. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Katie Loynes of the Blues attempts to mark the ball during the AFLW Preliminary Final match between the Carlton Blues and the Fremantle Dockers at Ikon Park on March 23, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mike Owen/Getty Images)

Margaret Morris dancers exercising on the sands at Saint-Idesbald. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images). August 1929

Princess Diana relaxes on the sand during a visit to the beach on the Caribbean Island of Nevis January 4, 1993. (Photo by Mark Cardwell/Reuters)