Yucca on White Dunes, White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

A pair of yucca plants grow on a large dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.

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Filename: NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1295.jpg
Copyright: Copyright 2010 Kevin Ebi/Living Wilderness. All rights reserved.
Image Size: 3744x5616 / 6.8MB; http://www.livingwilderness.com https://www.livingwilderness.com/licensing-prints-terms.htm; https://www.livingwilderness.com/licensing-prints.htm; white sand White Sands White Sands National Monument New Mexico dune dunes sand dune nature gypsum selenite
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A pair of yucca plants grow on a large dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.