This sea of sand is located 50 kilometers south of Juarez. The best known portion of the Samalayuca Dune Fields lie in and around the village of Samalayuca. These dune fields are the most noticeable because they lie across the much traveled north-south route between Chihuahua City and El Paso del Norte. This portion of the dunes is also the most dramatic, having high dune profiles shaped by the wind in the lee of Cerro de Samalayuca. Today the dune fields are becoming known for their tourist and recreational potential, and as a habitat for the many unique endemic species of plants and animals living in a rare ecosystem in the Samalayuca desert. The high silica content of the sands has also attracted industrial interest.