Gypsum - Wikipedia
Because gypsum dissolves over time in water, gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand. However, the unique conditions of the White Sands National Park in the US state of New Mexico have created a 710 km 2 (270 sq mi) expanse of white gypsum sand, enough to supply the US construction industry with drywall for 1,000 years. [ 18 ]
Gypsum Sand - Sandatlas
2015年10月18日 · Gypsum is a relatively rare constituent of sand. An exception is a large dune field in New Mexico White Sands National Monument that is entirely composed of tabular gypsum grains. Why is gypsum rare in sand?
Gypsum | Properties, Formation, Uses and Deposits - Geology …
2023年9月9日 · The white, sparkling dunes consist of pure gypsum sand. Gypsum’s unique properties allow it to create these massive dunes. The gypsum particles reflect sunlight, giving the dunes their striking white appearance.
Geology of White Sands - U.S. National Park Service
2020年1月22日 · Long ago, an ancient sea covered most of the southwestern United States. It was during this time that layers of gypsum were deposited on the seafloor. The rise and fall of the sea level millions of years ago started the process of making the gypsum sand that covers the monument today.
Gypsum - White Sands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
2023年9月12日 · These forms of gypsum have different internal structures and outer appearances, each with its own unique beauty. The rare gypsum sand and the beautiful selenite crystals are the most abundant forms of the mineral gypsum found here at …
Gypsum | Common Minerals
In arid sandy areas, growing gypsum crystals may bind sand grains together into complex clusters known as ‘desert roses’. Gypsum almost exclusively occurs in settings where seawater is evaporating or where groundwater containing dissolved ions from evaporite rocks reforms these ions as gypsum.
White Sands National Park (U.S. National Park Service)
2024年7月18日 · Rising from the heart of the Tularosa Basin is one of the world's great natural wonders - the glistening white sands of New Mexico. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield.
Gypsum: mineral characteristics, properties, uses - ZME Science
2024年2月24日 · Gypsum is a hydrated calcium sulfate mineral with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. The mineral is made of calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), oxygen (O), and water (H2O).
The White Sands National Monument | Geology, Formation
2023年8月16日 · The gypsum dunes at White Sands National Monument are formed from pure white gypsum sand, which is unique to the region. Gypsum is a common mineral that is formed when seawater evaporates, leaving behind a deposit of calcium sulfate. The formation of the White Sands dunes began millions of years ago, when the area was covered by a shallow sea.
Gypsum Mineral | Uses and Properties - Geology.com
Gypsum is the most common sulfate mineral. Used to manufacture dry wall, plaster, joint compound. An agricultural soil treatment. Gypsum uses include: manufacture of wallboard, cement, plaster of Paris, soil conditioning, a hardening retarder in portland cement.