ike dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert here and created the l
argest gypsum d
une field
in th
e world.
The d
Prerequisites
Required Materials/Facilities
unes, brilliant and
white, are eve
r changing. They grow, crest, then slump but always advance. Slowly but relentlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by the moving dunes, but several types
of small animal
s have evolved white colorations to camouflage them in the gypsum sand. White Sands National Monument preserves a major part of this gypsum dune field, along with the plants and animals that have adapted successfully to this constantly changing environment.At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert lies a mountain-ringed valley, the Tularosa Basin. Rising from the heart of this basin is one of the
at natural wond
ers-the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275
square miles
of desert here and created the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The dunes, brilliant and white, are ever changing. They grow, crest, then slump but always advance. Slowly but rel
entlessly the sand, driven by strong southwest winds, covers everything in its path. Within the extremely
- harsh environment of the dune field, even plants and animals adapted to desert conditions struggle to
- survive. Only a few species of plants grow rapidly enough to survive burial by the moving dunes, but several types of small anima
lved white colorations to cam
- ouflage them in the gypsum sand. White Sands National Monumen
- t preserves a major part of this g
- ypsum dune field, along with the plan
- ts and animals that have adapted success
- fully to this constant
- Pre-test and post-test (one per participant)
- ly changing environment
- .At the northern end of the Chihuahuan Desert li
es a mountai to arrange a class in your area.
