RV Lifestyle This region of glistening white dunes is in the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert within an “internally drained valley” called the Tularosa Basin. Typically, gypsum is rarely found as sand because it dissolves in contact with water. Gypsum is a common mineral in rocks around the world and is extremely soft. It can break down easily and the grains reflect light that gives off a snowy appearance. What allows gypsum sand to form is water. The park service says that White Sands is a “wet environment” at 100 per cent humidity. The dune field is very dynamic, with the most active dunes moving to the northeast at a rate of up to nine metres per year while the more stable areas of sandmove very little. The pure gypsum (hydrous calcium sulfate) which forms these unusual dunes originates in the western portion of the park from an ephemeral lake or playa with a very high mineral content. As the water evaporates, the minerals are left behind to form gypsum deposits that eventually are wind-transported to form these white sand dunes. While there is consistent wind that moves the dunes, a shallow water table beneath the dunes “acts like a glue,” holding them in place. Many species of plants and animals have developed very specialized means of surviving in this area of cold winters and hot summers with very little surface water and highly mineralized ground water. It was in the midst of the Great Depression when President Herbert Hoover declared this swath of pale dunes a national monument. Now, 87 years later, White Sands has been declared the United States’ 62nd national park. CSANews | WINTER 2020 | 25
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