In direct sunlight, the dunes of White Sands National Park are a sparkling crystal white, but what color is the sand really?

White Sands and Snow

Snow Reveals True Color of the Sands at “White” Sands

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Is it more of an ivory? Eggshell? Bone white? Linen?

Source: White Sands National Park (via Facebook)
Photos: Courtesy National Parks Service

In direct sunlight, the dunes of White Sands National Park are a sparkling crystal white, but what color is the sand really?

Is it more of an ivory? Eggshell? Bone white? Linen?

When it snows, the contrast gives us a better idea of the actual color of the sand. Snow has a much higher albedo than the sand in the park, meaning it reflects a greater percentage of sunlight. This makes the snow appear brilliant against the somewhat darker gypsum sand.

How about using gypsum dunes white for your next paint job?

If you were fortunate enough to be in the park on the day that it snowed, drop your picture in the comments!

Spilling Beans

Article posted by:

Levi Gwaltney
Levi Gwaltney is the Editor In Chief of Las Cruces Digest. The Editor makes editorial and posting decisions regarding content published on this site. In most cases, the Editor makes little if any contribution to content published, and takes no credit for the content of republished posts. If available, the source or author of posts is provided at the top of the article.
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