Blowing White Sands Spotted From Space

Posted by Rachel Pulaski on Monday, April 30, 2012
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From space.com -New Mexico's glistening white gypsum dunes, which cover 275 square miles (712 square kilometers), are the largest gypsum dune fields on the planet. The snow-white sands are easily spotted from space; astronauts could see the dune fields on their way to the moon. This photograph was snapped by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station on Feb. 28, 2012. Here, winds have lifted vast plumes of the rare, white mineral into the air, sending them more than 70 miles (112 km) eastward, stretching in white clouds out over the Sacramento Mountains, which are dappled with snow. On this day in late February, the winds were brisk enough to whip the gypsum to heights of nearly 4,000 feet (1,200 meters).
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1 comments:

Anonymous said...

And the blowing will only increase IF we decide to desalinize the water of the valley. Back in 1978, NMSU was involved in water purification schemes for people over there. It was determined that taking the saline water for purification would drop the water table and aid in the destruction of the monument. The same is true today but people forget the past. The reports are at WRRI although they may be deeply buried because of age and the changes in our course of action. Whatever, the sands will dry up and blow away if we desalinize the water of the bason.

May 1, 2012 at 11:51 AM

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