(a) Sand dunes in a desert move over time as sand is swept up the windward side to settle in the lee side. Such “walking” dunes have been known to walk 20 feet in a year and can travel as much as 100 feet per year in particularly windy times. Calculate the average speed in each case in m/s.
(b) Fingernails grow at the rate of drifting continents, on the order of 10 mm/yr. Approximately how long did it take for North America to separate from Europe, a distance of about 3 000 mi?