White Sands National Monument

The sand is so soft it is almost like talcum powder, but the dunes are so firm that there is no sinking in when climbing them.  The wave-like dunes look very otherworldly.  These white sands cover 275 square miles of southern New Mexico and are the largest Gypsum dune fields in the world, so large that they are easily visible from space.  They occur because the gypsum in the surrounding mountains forms very delicate crystals when mixed with rainwater and the strong winds break the crystals into tiny sand particles which blow down to the dune fields.  Amazingly, plants grow in this stuff   It is such a beautiful and fascinating place.  I would love to be able to photograph here again under different light conditions but will only have this short visit.  Today, there were very dramatic skies, but no light to enhance the dune shapes and textures. If you have the time, have a look in large.  I have loaded a couple of other shots into the extras and a few more on Flickr