White Sands National Monument

The world s largest gypsum dune field, the 275-square-mile dunes of White Sands National Monument are a geologic oddity more than 250 million years in the making. Located in Southern New Mexico, the popularity of the monument draws nearly half a million visitors each year to the National Park Service s southwestern region. The area is protected from encroachment by the boundaries of the US Army s White Sands Missile Range and houses no less than 144 species of birds, 20 unique mammals, and 371 types of insects. The gypsum s beauty has been captured by photographers and filmmakers for more than a century. Both Hollywood and scientists alike have sought after the monument s stunning otherworldly visuals to mimic other countries and worlds. The deserts of Qatar were recreated for Transformers (2007), and the monument has been identified as a potential analog site for Mars."