But unlike other desert, the sand here is not composed of quartz, but gypsum crystals.
And thats precisely how the gypsum dunes at White Sands were formed.
As the water evaporated away it left behind a layers of crystallized gypsum.
Lake Lucero is today a dry bed but its lowest portion occasionally fills with shallow water after recent rains.
It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
The dunes are constantly changing as they are moved by the steady southwest winds.
