White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States Jan 18, 2026

If "Frozen" traded ice for sand, the result would look a lot like White Sands National Park in New Mexico, United States—cool, white dunes that deceive the eye at first glance. It became a national monument on this day in 1933, established to protect a rare geological phenomenon: the world"s largest gypsum dunefield. These dunes were formed from gypsum crystals that broke down over thousands of years, creating bright waves that stay cool even in summer.

© Francesco Carucci/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

The largest gypsum dune field
Jan 18, 2024Pont Alexandre III, Paris, France
Jan 18, 2025Dunes at White Sands National Park, New Mexico, United States

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 19, 2025European river otter
Oct 18, 2023Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska
May 3, 2024The Sonoran Desert, Arizona, US
Where fire and water meet
Jun 23, 2025Elbe river in Dresden, Saxony, Germany
Sep 21, 2023International Day of Peace
Sep 21, 2023International Day of Peace
Monsoon awakens the sleeping mountains
May 21, 2025International Tea Day
Mar 30, 2024Brown-throated three-toed sloth
Celebrating our looming lunar neighbour
Blood moon
Apr 10, 2024Dragon waterfall, Venezuela
Like sands through the hourglass
Sep 22, 2023World Rhinoceros Day
Jan 14, 2024Whooper swans
Aug 19, 2024Raksha Bandhan
Dec 2, 2023Angkor, Cambodia
Apr 20, 2025Easter
Sep 1, 2025Great Basin National Park, Nevada, United States
Nov 17, 2025Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, United States
Oct 4, 2024World Space Week begins
Feb 8, 2024Mount Hood, Oregon
Feb 12, 2026Darwin Day
Feb 2, 2026Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany
Jan 15, 2026The fishing village of Reine, Norway
Jul 4, 2024Dam, lake and mountains in Kerala
Feb 13, 2025Lake Tyrrell, Victoria, Australia
Turtle-y nice day for a swim
Dec 3, 2025Sandhill cranes, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico