Exploring The White Sands Of New Mexico

T o most, sand dunes are as        softer and less abrasive. This     synonymous with deserts as      sand actually feels like talcum    water is to an ocean.           powder between your fingers and    However, the deserts of the           toes!                              southwest are certainly no                                               American Sahara. Sand dunes cover     So where did all this gypsum sand  but a small percentage of the         originate? During the age of the   total land area, with the vast        dinosaurs, a shallow sea covered   majority made up of silica,           much of the interior of North      composed of weathered quartz.         America. Gypsum, a salt of         What makes the white sands of New     calcium sulfate, was dissolved in  Mexico's White Sands National         the water and formed sediments     Monument, located just outside of     when the seas dried up. The        Alamogordo, special is their          sediments were lifted into a       composition- gypsum. There are        giant dome in southern New Mexico  only a few gypsum sand dune           70 million years ago, during the   fields in the world, with those       same period that the Rocky         preserved at White Sands National     Mountains were formed. The dome    Monument being by far the             began to collapse 10 million       largest. Since gypsum is a water      years ago, forming the Tularosa    soluble mineral, and is usually       basin. The lowest point in the     carried by rivers away to the         basin, Lake Lucero, is the main    sea, a perfect coincidence of         source of material from which the  environmental conditions must         dunes have been carved. Large      exist to form a gypsum dune           crystals of gypsum known as        field. In additional to the snow      selenite can be found there. The   white color, which turns sublime      constant action of southwesterly   shades of pink and purple under       winds has eroded these deposits    the right light, gypsum sands         into tiny particles and blown      differ from silica in being much      them into the dune field. The      dunes are constantly being moved      nocturnal activities.              to the southwest and reshaped by                                         these winds.                          Although the road in White Sands                                         National Monument leads directly   Life forms at White Sands are         into the dune field, the best way  specially adapted to the              to experience this place is to     challenging conditions of the         leave the car and hike some of     dunes. Yuccas grow at a rate fast     the trails. The Big Dune Nature    enough to keep up with the            trail, located on the edge of the  advancing sand, ultimately            dune field, allows for close       developing stems over 30 feet         observation of many of the plants  long, mostly covered by sand.         and animals adapted to life        When the dunes move on, the plant     there. Animals are especially      collapses and dies. Other plants      active early in the moring and at  have strong roots which hold in       dusk. The Interdune Boardwalk      place pedestals of raised sand,       goes through an area densely       forming an island for life in the     populated by wildflowers during    harsh dune environment. Much of       the blooming season. For a true    the fauna found at White Sands,       wilderness experience, the         including lizards, toads, pocket      Alkalai Flats trail will take you  mice, crickets, and beetles, have     deep into the heart of the dunes-  evolved white forms that are          a sea of white surrounded by       camoflauged with their                rugged mountains! The 4.6 mile     environment. In order to cope         loop leads to the dry lakebed of   with the extremes of temperature      Lake Otero and back, and is        and dryness, many animals remain      marked by orange plastic markers   underground by day and emerge at      anchored to the dunes. The color   only night. A morning hike            and forms of the dunes there are   through the dunes will reveal         very reminescent of snow- a        copious evidence of their             surreal environment. While hiking  this trail, several times I had       sands glow different shades of     to remind myself that I was in        pink and purple in the low rays    New Mexico, not Antarctica! Like      of the sun is an experience not    snow, they reflect the sunlight       soon to be forgotten. It's also a  fiercely, so high strength            great place to bring the kids, or  sunblock is a must. Also, the         to let out your inner child, and   plastic markers are the only          romp about in the soft sand.       landmarks, so be sure to stay in                                         sight of them. Being on the dunes     Copyright 2004, Brian              at dusk or dawn and watching the      Vuillemenot. All rights reserved.  About the Author: Brian Vuillemenot is a scientifically trained outdoor adventurer and photographer specializing in large format and panoramic images of the American southwest. To see more of his work, visit his website at: http://www.imagesofenchantment.com Source: www.isnare.com