To the north of the Chihuahua Desert and on the edge of a US military base, stands a setting worthy of being considered otherworldly, a huge white sand desert known as White Sand National Park. It is a field covered in whitish dunes that, if not given proper attention, looks more like a hill covered in soft, pristine snow.
In the state of New Mexico, there lives a mountain valley that is commonly known as the Talurosa Basin. Gypsum dunes have taken over nearly 330 square kilometers of the Chihuahuan Desert that covers the mountain valley, creating the largest field of gypsum sands in the world located at the northern edge of the desert.
The white sand desert
These types of sands are in constant movement, they extend over different terrains. They grow with their enormous dunes of white sand and then collapse driven by the momentum of the wind, moving towards other regions slowly but relentlessly.
White Sand National Park has become a magnetic site for adventure lovers. You can drive through the rolling white sand dunes and also hike through the . Those more adventurous can even ride a sled to slide across its undulating peaks and descend at high speeds.
These unusual dunes are formed from gypsum, that is, hydrated calcium sulfate, and are born from an ephemeral lake or beach with a very high mineral content found in the western part of the park. When heat invades the region, the heat from the lake slowly evaporates, leaving gypsum deposits in its wake. Then the wind does its thing and erodes the gypsum until it is transported in the form of microparticles of sand. Thus, little by little but incessantly, high hills of whitish sand are formed and invade the dunes that already exist in the desert.
Pristine dunes
The dunes themselves are already a natural phenomenon that is amazing to study, they have that shape thanks to the strong winds that blow across the beach and carry the sand in their favor. Once sand mounds begin to form, sand particles jump toward the wind-exposed side of the dune, creating small ripples on the surface. But in addition, gravity intervenes and lowers the sand along the sliding surface, which is why there is always a main edge that faces the void.
The result is an incredible natural environment, a visual spectacle that transports you to a distant and peaceful world, although full of adrenaline to experience. The white sand desert is located 83 kilometers east of Las Cruces, in New Mexico.