White Sands

Largest known gypsum dune system in the world, in southern New Mexico. The White Sands are located in the Tularosa Basin, between the San Andres and Sacramento Mountains. They are the site of the White Sands Missile Range, the (area 12,000 sq km/4,633 sq mi), the largest US military installation. At the Trinity Site in the north of the range, some 86 km/54 mi north-northwest of Alamogordo, the world's first atomic bomb was detonated on 16 July 1945 (see Manhattan Project).

The white rippling dunes are created by a series of actions, including rivers and streams depositing gypsum here from higher elevations, evaporation and formation of crystals, and dispersal of the crystals by wind. The resulting dunes, which can be up to 18 m/60 ft high, are practically devoid of plant or animal life. The area includes the White Sands National Monument (area 580 sq km/224 sq mi), 24 km 15 mi west-southwest of Alamogordo.