Tularosa Basin - Geography

Geography

The Tularosa Basin is located primarily in Otero County. It covers about 6,500 square miles or 16,800 square kilometres (35% larger than Connecticut). It lies between the Sacramento Mountains to the east, and the San Andres and Oscura Mountains to the west. The basin stretches about 150 miles (240 km) north-south, and at its widest is about 60 miles (100 km) east-west. It is geologically considered part of the Rio Grande Rift zone, which widens there due to the slight clockwise rotation of the Colorado Plateau tectonic plate.

Notable features of the basin include White Sands National Monument, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, the Carrizozo Malpais lava flow, Holloman Air Force Base, and the White Sands Missile Range with the historic Trinity nuclear test Site. Tularosa Creek flows westward into the Tularosa Basin just north of the village of Tularosa. The distinct northwestern New Mexico Tularosa River is located in Catron County.

Hydrologically, the Tularosa Basin is an endorheic basin, as no water flows out of it. The basin is closed to the north by Chupadera Mesa and to the south by the Franklin and Hueco Mountains. Surface water that doesn't evaporate or soak into the ground eventually accumulates at playas (intermittently dry lake beds), the largest of which is Lake Lucero at the southwest end of the White Sands dunes. The White Sands are a 710-km² (275-sq mi) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. To the north of Lake Lucero there are extensive alkali flats, which produce additional gypsum for wind deposition on the dunes.