Monday, May 29, 2017

USA ~ White Sands National Monument - New Mexico ~

... Once more a fantastic surprise from dear postcard friend Andrene♥...  a beautiful desert scenery... looks like an endless sea of sand... the world's largest gypsum dune field... a great natural wonder... the glistening white sands of New Mexico... also this time with unique "White Sands" special National Parks stamp cancellationシ... Thanks so much Andrene!!! ✿◕ ‿ ◕✿

The White Sands National Monument is made up entirely of gypsum crystals that form dunes that stretch over 275 square miles. Located in the Tularosa Basin, the park and the dunes are fully enclosed; there is no outlet to water of any kind, so the gypsum never gets dissolved in water.

Gypsum, what makes up the dunes is actually a clear substance; the dunes appear white like snow because the gypsum grains are constantly banging into each other. The scratches then reflect the sun’s rays making them look white.  Gypsum doesn’t absorb heat from the sun, so even on the hottest day of the year; the dunes are cool and comfortable to walk on.

The White Sands National Monument is completely surrounded by military installations and is periodically closed for a few hours at a time while they carry out testing.

Stamps:

Penguins
(Issued 01-06-2015)

Neon Celebrate
(Issued 09-09-2015)

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