What are the White Sands in New Mexico?

One of the biggest items on my travel bucket list was the White Sands in New Mexico. And in May, 2022 I finally got to check it off the list! What I found out about this amazing desert was nothing like I thought!

You might recognize the white sandy desert from many documentaries, television shows and movies like Jarhead, Young Guns II and even Year One. With it’s rolling hills of pure white sand, it makes a pretty dramatic backdrop!

But, what are they exactly?

Chemically, the White Sand dunes are made up of gypsum, or hydrated calcium sulfate (CaSO₄.2H₂O).

This is from the White Sands National Park website:

Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world’s great natural wonders – the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world’s largest gypsum dunefield. White Sands National Park preserves a major portion of this unique dunefield, along with the plants and animals that live here.

Quite literally, the White Sands in New Mexico is a giant desert of gypsum salt located in… the desert. 🙂

As you drive up toward the dunes, you really don’t know they’re there. Even as you pull off the highway and enter the White Sands National Park, you really can’t see them. Once you enter the park and drive down a long and winding road… BOOM! Nothing but white sand!

It’s a little surreal honestly. While you’re in the White Sands National Park, it feels like the dunes go on forever. In every direction you look, it’s there. You can walk for hours over the rolling dunes and still see nothing but gorgeous white sands.

But, where did the White sands come from?

The White Sands have been forming since Pangaea (280 Million years ago)! At that time, the area now known as New Mexico was covered by water, called the Permian Sea. As the tides rose and fell it left layers of gypsum deposits on the sea floor.

Over the next 280 million years, as the tectonic plates of the earth shifted and adjusted, Pangaea broke apart and the earth was recreated. Eventually, the sea levels receded and evaporated entirely leaving only the desert that we see today.

10,000 years ago to present – formation of the dunefield

As the climate became warmer and drier, the effects of sun and wind slowly began transforming this area into the modern Chihuahuan Desert. Most of Lake Otero dried up. The dry portions of the lakebed became what we know today as Alkali Flat, while the smaller seasonal playa that remained formed modern Lake Lucero. As Lake Otero’s water disappeared selenite crystals formed on Alkali Flat. Strong 17 mph winds carried the smaller pieces, further breaking down the crystals into small grains and polishing them into a brilliant white color.
https://www.nps.gov/whsa/learn/geology-of-white-sands.htm

Eventually, with the help of those strong winds, the gypsum sand has been carried and cumulated into the massive White Sand dunes we visit today.

Ready to visit the White Sands?

When you visit the dunes, be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat! This is because, as you may know, white reflects light. Therefore, the white sand also reflects the sunlight. Especially in the 100+ degree summers, you can get sunburns very quickly from above, and below.

One thing I wasn’t expecting is walking in the sand barefoot. We saw bare footprints all over. So, to find out what all the hubbub was, I took my shoes off.

Y’all… the sand is COLD! Because the light is reflected off of the sand, it doesn’t absorb the heat like regular sand or dirt does. So the sand itself is actually cold to the touch! But be careful. As the sand is actually salt, it will pull moisture out of your skin. So be prepared with some extra water!

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