A Geoscience Digital Image Library
A Geoscience Digital Image Library
| Title | View of gypsum sand dunes, White Sands National Monument, early morning |
|---|---|
| Description | These white sand dunes at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, are made of gypsum, hydrated calcium sulfate. Most sand dunes are made of quartz. The gypsum dunes cover 700 km2 at the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert, in the Tularosa Basin. The gypsum was originally deposited at the bottom of a shallow sea that covered this area 250 million years ago. Eventually the gypsum turned into rock, and was uplifted 70 million years ago when the Rocky Mountains were formed. The gypusm-bearing rocks subsequently eroded to produce the sand that has now collected in the basin. |
| Location | USA ▹ New Mexico ▹ Otero. White Sands National Monument. |
| Photographer | Dexter Perkins. 2001-04-09. |
| Collection | E41111991V. |
| Key words | gypsum, White Sands National Monument, dunes, New Mexico, Tularosa Basin, Chihuahua Desert |
| Tech details | 129 KB. Vista. Canon Eos Rebel, 55 mm lens, Fuji Provia 100. |
| GeoDIL number | 318 |
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