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Landmark: Earth
White Sands National Monument
about 25 km (15 miles) southwest of AlamogordoNew Mexico
Thousands of gypsum dunes are the "white sands" which span over 20 miles (32 km).
Photo: Jennifer Willbur
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This New Mexico site comprises the southern part of a 275 square miles (710-kmē) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. Gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand because it is water-soluble.
Current Rating: 4.36 by 11 voters.
Landmark Trivia
- In areas accessible by car, children frequently use the dunes for downhill sledding.
- The ground in the Alkali Flat and along Lake Lucero's shore is covered with selenite crystals which reach lengths of up to three feet (1 m). Weathering and erosion eventually breaks the crystals into sand-size grains that are carried away by the prevailing winds from the southwest, forming white dunes.
- Unlike dunes made of quartz-based sand crystals, the gypsum does not readily convert the sun's energy into heat and thus can be walked upon safely with bare feet, even in the hottest summer months.
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