Green sand is the rarest color of sand in the entire world. It's caused by a special type of volcanic eruption in which olivine crystals (which are green) are brought to the surface of the earth.
Star Sand. Star sand is the celebrity of rare sands. Found on Japan's Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa, it's formed from the shells of microscopic, single-cell ocean organisms called foraminifera.
Pink beaches apparently get their color from foraminifera, which are microscopic red organisms that live in the coral reefs and get washed up on the beach. A pink sand beach in general is very rare, and there are only a handful of them worldwide. They're even rarer than black beaches.
The world has an infinite number of beaches sprawled across various coastlines. However, black sand beaches are a little harder to find. There are around 20 black sand beaches in the world. Their rarity is a direct result of their region, some of which have a high volume of Magnetite on the surface.
People in Namibia have a much higher chance of finding it.
Iceland's black sand beaches are a tourist highlight, Alaska's jewel sand is stuffed full of aesthetically pleasing minerals, but in Namibia, you can stumble across bright blue sand.
These purple beaches are primarily found in the western Canadian Shield region of Canada or the Northern Continental United States; often in proximity to a major river systems with coarse sediment, a glacial sediment source, or input from glacial or para-glacial sediment.
Located in Queensland, Australia is this famous tourist destination. Rainbow Beach gets its name from its rainbow colored sand dunes that overlook a gorgeous white sand beach. While you are there make sure you visit Great Sandy National Park for some outdoor adventures.
Pink Sand Beach - Eleuthera & Harbour Island in The Bahamas.
Kiama's Black Beach gets its name (and colour) from the black basalt sand and cobbles that line its shore. Although less popular with swimmers than with snorkelers, the ocean pools on either side of…
These eye-catching beaches are located in destinations with volcanic landscape. Usually, they're the result of volcanic materials being deposited into the sea, and being eroded and washed up on the shore forming the dark sands.
One of the rarest forms of sand, star sand, is both a beautiful sight and a scientific marvel. Found on the Taketomi, Hatoma, and Iriomote islands of Japan, star sand is exactly what the name implies small, millimeter-sized pieces of sand in the shape of stars!
You might find some green sand in various beaches, but to find an all-green beach IS rare - only four in the world - one in Guam, one in Norway, one in the Galapagos, and the last one, called Papakolea, right here on the Island of Hawaii.
The Guinness Book of Records has decreed that Hyams' sand is the whitest in the world. Jervis Bay, where Hyams Beach is situated, is 180 kilometres south of Sydney, or a pleasant two-and-a-half-hour drive.
So, where is the whitest beach? According to the National Committee on Soil and Terrain, you'll find the whitest sand here at Lucky Bay, Cape Le Grand, Western Australia. Tourism WA.
Most white sandy beaches are derived from granitic, or less commonly sandstone, geologies that weather to produce fine, frosted quartz sand grains. Interestingly, sands made from shell or coral fragments just aren't as white.
In contrast, gray sand beaches tend to be composed of mixtures of gray weathered basalt and white calcareous foraminiferans and fragments of mollusk shells, calcareous algae, sea urchins, and corals. While some grains are derived from extant marine life, others are from paleontological deposits.
In addition to being mostly uninhabited, the Great Australian Desert is diverse, where it consists of semi-desert grassy or mountainous landscapes, xeric shrubs, salt pans, gibber (stony) deserts, red sand dunes, sandstone mesas, rocky plains, open tree savannahs and bushland with a few rivers and salt lakes, which are ...
Packed with over 1100 dunes, the Simpson Desert is the largest parallel dune desert in the world. Its classic red colouration is universal throughout, making it one of Australia's most recognisable Outback regions.
Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park is home to some of the whitest sand in all of Australia.
Where is it located? Diamond Beach is located in southeast Iceland, right by the iconic Jökulsárlón glacier lagoon. Once you reach the lagoon, you'll cross a single-track bridge. Take the first right for the Diamond Beach parking lot.
Red Sand Beach, a.k.a. Kaihalulu Beach, is a pocket beach located on Kaihalulu Bay. It is on the island of Maui, Hawaii, on Kaʻuiki Head.
White sand beaches are typically composed of quartz-rich sediments. Due to its hardness and chemical structure, quartz is a very durable mineral that is difficult to weather and erode. Therefore, quartz is often the most prevalent mineral found in beach sediments.
Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur is famous as the “purple sand beach.” But that's not its only claim to fame: beautiful Keyhole Arch, which sits just offshore at Pfeiffer Beach, is one of the most photographed spots in Big Sur.
ORANGE: Ramla Bay, Gozo, Malta
The Maltese name for this Mediterranean island destination, Ramla il-Hamra, may mean “red sands,” but the shoreline actually appears fiery orange. The Virgin Mary statue that looks over the beach was built in 1881 to commemorate a shipwreck.
Walk along Rainbow Beach, preferably at low tide, past rocks, caves and freshwater springs to the awesome coloured sands that tower 80 metres over the beach about two kilometres south of Rainbow Beach Surf Life Saving Club.