White Sands holds the world's largest gypsum dune field, in New Mexico's Tularosa Basin. Toggle moonlit night lighting to see the pale gypsum sand glow, and the soaptree yucca markers that keep pace with the moving dunes.
Published figures: the dune field covers about 275 sq mi (712 sq km), dunes reach up to about 60 ft (18 m) tall, and they migrate up to about 30 ft (9 m) per year.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. Everything renders on your device with WebGL.
White Sands 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows White Sands as a field of pale, asymmetric barchan dune ridges: a gentle windward rise on one side of each crest and a steeper leeward slip face on the other, tracing how the prevailing southwest wind pushes the gypsum sand downwind. Toggle moonlit night lighting to see the pale gypsum sand read cool and glow, and the soaptree yucca markers scattered across the dune slopes.
White Sands National Park protects part of the largest gypsum dune field on Earth, covering about 275 sq mi (712 sq km) in New Mexico's Tularosa Basin - roughly 40 percent of the field lies inside the park, with the rest inside White Sands Missile Range next door. The gypsum itself washed down from the surrounding Sacramento and San Andres Mountains into ancient Lake Otero, which dried up long ago; wind has since ground the leftover gypsum crystals into the fine white sand that builds the dunes today. Dunes here reach up to about 60 ft (18 m) tall and migrate up to about 30 ft (9 m) per year. Unlike typical quartz sand, the pale gypsum reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it, so the surface stays notably cooler underfoot than a typical hot desert dune even under strong sun. The area was first protected as White Sands National Monument in 1933, then redesignated White Sands National Park in December 2019. Soaptree yucca survives on the moving dunes by stretching its stem several meters upward to keep pace with the rising sand, and ranger-led full-moon hikes are a popular park program because the pale gypsum sand reflects moonlight so strongly at night.
- Toggle moonlit night lighting to see the pale gypsum dunes shift from warm daylight to a cool, moonlit glow
- Toggle the soaptree yucca markers to see where this dune-climbing plant survives on the moving sand
- Read location, dune-field-area, height, and migration figures in the panel
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Location | Tularosa Basin, southern New Mexico, USA (White Sands National Park) |
| Dune field area | about 275 sq mi (712 sq km) - the largest gypsum dune field on Earth; about 40% lies inside the national park |
| Formation | gypsum washed from surrounding mountains into ancient Lake Otero, which dried up; wind grinds the leftover crystals into sand |
| Dune height | up to about 60 ft (18 m) tall |
| Migration rate | up to about 30 ft (9 m) per year, driven by prevailing southwest winds |
| Surface feel | pale gypsum reflects sunlight and stays notably cooler underfoot than typical quartz sand |
| Park status | National Monument since 1933, redesignated White Sands National Park in December 2019 |
| Soaptree yucca | stretches its stem several meters to keep pace with a dune migrating over it |
For a red-toned coastal dune field by contrast, open the Namib Desert 3D Explorer, or for a very different sand sea try the Sahara Desert 3D Explorer.
The whole scene - the asymmetric dune ridges, the pale gypsum color signature, the moonlight toggle, and the yucca markers - is built and drawn on your own device with WebGL through the site-vendored three.js engine. Orbit the scene to trace how each ridge rises gently on one side and drops steeply on the other, and toggle the moonlit lighting to see the color shift cool. Nothing about your visit is uploaded to a server, and the engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is then cached.
This is an educational approximation - the dune shapes, color gradient, moonlight toggle, and yucca markers are schematic teaching cues, not survey data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is White Sands?
In the Tularosa Basin of southern New Mexico, USA, protected as White Sands National Park.
Is White Sands really the largest gypsum dune field?
Yes - at about 275 sq mi (712 sq km), it is widely described as the largest gypsum dune field on Earth. Roughly 40% of it lies inside the national park.
Why is the sand white instead of tan or red?
It is made of gypsum (calcium sulfate) crystals rather than the quartz found in most desert sand, so it stays pale instead of picking up an iron-oxide tint.
How did the gypsum dunes form?
Gypsum washed down from the surrounding Sacramento and San Andres Mountains into ancient Lake Otero, which later dried up. Wind then ground the leftover gypsum crystals into fine white sand.
How tall are the dunes and how fast do they move?
Dunes reach up to about 60 ft (18 m) tall and migrate up to about 30 ft (9 m) per year, driven by prevailing southwest winds.
Does the white sand get as hot as other deserts?
The pale gypsum reflects sunlight rather than absorbing it, so the surface stays notably cooler underfoot than a typical hot desert dune, even under strong sun.
What is the soaptree yucca?
A dune-climbing plant that stretches its stem several meters upward to keep pace with the sand as a dune migrates over it, so it always stays above the surface.
Is this a scientific terrain model?
No. It is an educational explorer using published figures - the dune shapes, color gradient, moonlight toggle, and yucca markers are schematic teaching cues, not survey data.