Locality
106°10´89" west longitude, 32°46´43" north latitiude [ map ]
Name
Nordamerika
Geological relevance of location
The gypsum that formes the white sand was deposited at the bolttom of a shallow sea covering this area 250 million years ago when the Rocky Mountains formed. Ten million years ago the center of this dome started to collapse, creating the Tularosa Basin. The remaining sides of the original dome form the San Andres and Sacramento mountain ranges that now ring the Tularosa Basin.