If today"s photo evokes some chilly feelings inside of you, surprise! That"s not snow, but part of the largest gypsum dune field on the planet. We"re at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, which was first established as a monument on this date in 1933 and then became a national park in 2019. Roughly 4.5 billion tons of gypsum sand has massed in the Tularosa Basin over the past 12,000 years, having worn off the surrounding mountains. Thousands of species live in the park, many of which have evolved to have white coloration, allowing them to blend into the environment.
White Sands National Park turns 90
Today in History
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Citizenship Day and Constitution Day
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Join us in celebrating World Water Day
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Overlooking the Douro
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Summertime in Alaska
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Welcome to the Hoh
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Big wheels on a big mountain
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Castle ruins on the island of Halki, Greece
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Castelmezzano, Italy
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Father s Day
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Are you older than this lake?
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A tower of remembrance
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International Day for Biological Diversity
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Big sky at Big Bend
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In the footsteps of Leopold Bloom
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Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park, Washington
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White dunes, blue lagoons
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Groundhog Day
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Blue paradise on the Costa Brava
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Baddest of the badlands
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State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
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A national icon
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Cordouan Lighthouse, France
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Atlantic puffin, Iceland
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A river runs through it
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Christmas market at Belvedere Palace in Vienna
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Strolling across the Red Lagoon
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Wild scene on the Merced River
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Balloons and camels are two ways to catch a ride here
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Portland celebrates its bounty
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Guiding ships to safety