Let me get this straight. You're saying that this image:
<img src="/attachment.php?attachmentid=3681&stc=1">
is of higher resolution and of better quality than this image:
<img src="/attachment.php?attachmentid=3571&stc=1">
I'm always fascinated by the number of people who will state "nature doesn't make right angles," But, the "right angles" you see aren't right angles at all. Nor do you even outline them with your edited version:
<img src="/attachment.php?attachmentid=3682&stc=1">
Next, while there are roads present, much of what is also present is simply from a direction of slightly upper-left to slightly lower-right (NW to SE on either side of the hill). Roads and tank trails are to be expected throughout the White Sands training areas. Multiple Launch Rocket Systems are used heavily there, as is the M109 Paladin, both of which are tracked vehicles. Both of which require approximately 25 - 30 support vehicles ranging from Hummers to HEMMTs to APCs. They need roads.
The DoD rotates training lands in accordance with land usage policies in order to prevent environmental damage... so one might not necessarily see evidence of use in obvious ways (like cammo nets and live fire events), but eventually, all the land gets used.
I've been all over White Sands. I've even been in that area, though I don't remember it specifically. I assure you, there is nothing out of the ordinary in your photos. Moreover, I've used aerial and sat photos as intel on many occasions and can say that I'm experienced as anyone you might run across in interpreting these images.
The specific site you have indicated is a hill. The "anomolies" are tricks of the light, which to the novice can look strange, but once you've seen enough you look forward to them because they can give you clues to dead-zones and cover that hills, valleys and saddles can provide.
In conclusion, do you think its possible that you reject the second image simply because your "anomoly" isn't present. Clearly it is the one of finer resolution. You can even make out the individual ruts of the tank trail running along the northeast corner as well as individual scrubs.