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White Sands National Monument
Management
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: April 15, 2008 at 12:45 EST