White Sands National Monument (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing))

The worlds 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 Services southwestern region. The area is protected from encroachment by the boundaries of the US Armys White Sands Missile Range and houses no less than 144 species of birds, 20 unique mammals, and 371 types of insects. The gypsums beauty has been captured by photographers and filmmakers for more than a century. Both Hollywood and scientists alike have sought after the monuments 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.