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White Sands National Monument
History & Culture
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Photo of hiker on the dunes  

Did You Know?
Only the top few inches of the gypsum dunes are made of loose sand. Rainwater falling on the dunes dissolves some of the gypsum and cements the sand grains together, creating a crude form of plaster of Paris. This makes the white sand dunes easy to walk on.

Last Updated: January 19, 2009 at 16:48 EST