Beach sand comes in all kinds of colors. Jason Wire explores the diversity.
Ever played Falling Sand? There’s nothing so satisfying as creating a technicolor sand-sculpture masterpiece and blowing it to smithereens with some explosive mouse-clicking. But where does all that sweet, colored sand come from? Not food coloring, but from the world’s intersections of earth and ocean where crashing waves turn dense minerals and matter into tiny grains. And despite what your color-by-number book tells you, it’s not all yellow. 
1
Red sand, Kaihalulu, Maui, Hawaii
When a a breach in the Earth's crust lets loose a geyser of magma, the volcanic ash and material has to go somewhere, and, quite often, forms a massive conical structure called a cinder cone. At Kaihalulu Beach, an ancient cinder cone crumbles into a bay as the tide erodes it further, ensuring its inevitable total destruction. In the meantime, the sediment from the cinder cone forms this beach of red sand.Photo: xoque
2
Green sand, Papakolea, Hawaii
Likewise, at the nearby Papakolea Beach, another cinder cone rich in olivine minerals -- a common component of Hawaiian lava -- spills forth a surreal pasture of dark green sand. The beach is found at the end of a long hike on the south of the Big Island.Photo: Wikimedia Commons
3
Purple sand, Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur, California
This beach looks like it's been taken straight out of some Lisa Frank stationery. When the moonlight bounces off the slowly ebbing tide, the manganese particles that have colored the sand purple become a glowing, rippling aurora in the water. Start at the south of the beach and head north, where the sand gradually becomes even more violet.Photo: cveldstra
Intermission
4
Black sand, Santorini, Greece
When a landslide of scorching magma hits the sea, it immediately explodes, cooling on impact, and the remaining basalt and pumice particles end up getting smashed and eroded into jet-black sand, as on the beaches of Santorini. Kamari, Perissa, and Monolithos beaches are the best known for their black beaches, but you're likely to find them all over the volcanically active archipelago.Photo: qmnonic
5
Pink sand, Harbour Island, Bahamas
The sand at Harbour Island is made of bits of coral, broken shells, and calcium carbonate from minuscule marine invertebrates. The secret ingredient to its pinkish hue is the inclusion of tiny, microscopic amoeba -- Foraminifera -- which use bright pink or red shells as protection.Photo: mbostock
6
Glass sand, Fort Bragg, California
What was once the town dump has now become one of the most awe-inspiring man-made beaches you're likely to see anywhere. Shards of broken glass have been smoothed by decades of tidal impact. Visitors are at first wary of stepping on a stray, jagged shard but soon realize it's just as comforting to sink their feet into pebbles of glass as it is with grains of sand.Photo: randystorey
7
Bowling Ball Beach, Mendocino, California
At Schooner Gulch in Mendocino, something strange has happened. Thousands of rocks have convened to face the tides like a Terracotta Army of small boulders. They're all of equal size, all uniform in their spacing. It isn't the best beach to build a sandcastle, but by far unlike any other coastline you've ever experienced.Photo: Jitze
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Jason Wire
Jason Wire graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2010 and spent the year after writing and teaching English in Spain. He's back in the states now, but doesn't know where. Follow him @wirejr.
Very cool. What a great idea. I’ve never heard of green sand!
I love the glass sand of California. And WOW to # 2.
Awesome photos. Love the line about Lisa Frank.
Amazing article! Hilarious prose Mr. Wire.
Great photos. Especially loved the Glass Sand pic.
Looks beautiful,
black sand looks the most appealing to me.
Ok, Mendocino is one of my favorite places in the world and I’ve never seen THOSE rocks. Purty cool.
Absolutely love it! Cant believe that there is actually green sand!
Sweet Article. Nice Pictures. Clever Commentary
I’ve been to the Green Sand Beach on the Big Island in Hawaii. It’s a little difficult to get too unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and once you get to the place where the beach is you have to climb down a cliff side path. But once you get there it is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful beaches you will ever visit.
Also the Big Island of Hawaii has a Black sand beach which nice.
Earth is all about diversity.
Amazing, never thought pink sand would look so good
Love it. Never knew there were so many kinds of beaches. I’ve now added Santorini to one of the stops on the European tour I hope to take this summer.
Really cool pictures, had no idea sand could be so many different colors. Green beach is the coolest, I thought it was a golf green at first.
Glass sand is my favorite.
That green sand is spectacular. And the glass beach looks amazing.
There are plenty of nice and bizarre beaches OUTSIDE the U.S. you know…
These pictures are amazing. I would love to check out the glass beach. Check out the beaches on Prince Edward Island in Canada, those have some pretty amazing red sand too.
#1 i remember this beach being in Paia, Maui hawaii.
My dad used to take my siblings and i here when i was little. The red muddy sand/dirt would stain the soles of our feet and streaks on our beach towels haha.
There’s a pink beach also in Komodo Island, Indonesia
Yep, Pink Beach @ Komodo National Park, beautiful place. Underwater also amazing, I love doing nite dive in pink beach.
Beautiful! And thank your for the explanations behind the beaches´colours.
These beaches are beautiful! I’ve only been to Red Sand Beach in Hawaii but I’d love to travel to all of them!
Uhh I wanna GO there =)
Alum bay on the isle of wight,off the south coast of the UK. Multi coloured cliffs and sand.
Missed the vertical coloured sands of Alum Bay ~ Isle of Wight.
The glass beach looks amazing still think i would wear my flip flops
keith ashton under lyne uk
I think I would wear my flip flops or fit flops too
i really want to get drunk in that pink sand……. thanks for showing me my next vacation spot!
wow! this is so kool… thanks for sharing!…loved the pink sand!
Wow, that red sand looks like Mars!
I’ve been to Hawaii on the Big Island and saw that black sand, very cool but HOT to walk on.
I love the glass beach, but it doesn’t look like that any more. Years of tourists taking sea glass as souvenirs has really depleted it. There is still plenty of glass, but nothing like it used to be
the glass beach is so cool!
btw, theres another pink beach in my country
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ng_sebastian/3968377538/
Green sand, wow! I just know there is the real green sand, amazing!
That photo is NOT of the green sand beach in Hawaii. I say that as someone who has been there several times including trips with geology classes.
The sand isn’t pure green. Its green and amber colored because Olivine comes in two varieties: Forsterite and Fayalite. Forsterite is Olivine with magnesium and Fayalite is Olivine with iron. The sand in that photo is pure green and that is not what the beach is like. The beach is green/amber with flecks of black basalt.
Moreover, the beach isn’t flat like the photo shows. It is at the bottom of a cinder cone and you have to climb down to get to the beach.
Hey Gary…do you have any pics of it? Would love to see it. Link?
These Beaches are sooo beautiful. I wish I could go to each one with the one I Love and collect a small sand sample… and many special memories… Thanks for these
I’m always wary about the use of “awe inspiring”. I must say that the glass beaded beach merits the term. I’d never heard of this, and it’s definitely a stunner.
You inspire me to visit the beaches of the world. This is only a taste of the amazing beaches to visit. Thank you for sharing.
-Layne
Been to glass beach and live 5 mins away from bowling ball.
yay mendoland
I want to see the glass sand beach.
What a beautiful photos. Awesome.
Santorini beach is amazing. As is the sunset seen from the island. Next on the list for me.
There is also a glass beach on the south shore of Kauai that was very interesting. There are all kinds of color glass, from red, brown, blue, clear, green, etc.
Very interesting
It is an amazing world!
That green sand is awesome!! Just a small correction: Bowling Ball Beach is not in Mendocino, it’s in Point Arena (30-45 minutes south of Mendocino).
Amazing and Beautiful
Praise GOD for Diversity in NATURE
awesome, thank you.
Bowling Ball Beach looks out of the world and green sand just has to be totally insane….
Wow some impressive beaches here. I’d love to do a world tour of all of these beaches although that may take some financing! Nice blog.
Reminds me of the Moeraki boulders in New Zealand, only more so!
Nice. On Tenerife you can find a red and black beach.
I love this collection! Thanks for pulling it together.
travel with us ….to india’s glorious beaches…like goa…so see our web page….http://www.bonvoyagerajasthan.com
Nice article!
Amazing the black sand beach in Santorini.Also it’s amazing the volcano there!
spectacular photography.Odd, but good colours on the beaches…sure is a treat for the eyes.
Amazing. #3 is my personal favourite.
I am amaze by the glass sand……….its beautiful!!!
Next summer I am planning to go traveling the coast of CA. I live in San Diego. So It am heading all the way to the border of Oregon.
With out this photo essay I would have never known that in California existed those beaches.
Thanks again. It has only gotten me more excited to go on this journey. As its my first travel and many more to come.
Che
On the northern coast of France is a small town called Etratet. The sand is the all made of rocks the size of an adult fist and multiple colors. It is also an amazing beach because it is surrounded by very tall cliffs (with a golf course on top of one of them).
Cool list! I never knew there was pink and green sand. I want to see it! stumbled & tweeted this cool post!
wow ! beautiful places…
Wow!! awesome pics… I sure would like to see a few of these beaches one day :0)
The pink beach is stunning.
check out mumbai nariman point… http://www.evirtualpie.com/myimage/albums/userpics/nariman-point-mono.jpg the stones are all equal sized
nice post, giants causeway in ireland should be there! have a look here http://cannedcumulus.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/giants_causeway1.jpg
Sounds like a plan! Who is paying for me?
Really nice.. especially Santorini.
Bermuda has gorgeous pink sand as well.
California represent!
Yes, it’s stunning…because the color has been enhanced in Photoshopped so much to make the sand pink, the clouds are now pink.
I’ve seen this beach. It’s pink sand, but this is ridiculous.
LJ
there’s a beach in Costa Rica made entirely of shells. Playa Conchal.
Idiot.. nariman point mumbai has cement blocks of similar size and shape to prevent sea erosion…
wow, this is just too incredible
The red sand on Prince Edward Island beaches is a lot more vibrant than the Hawaii beach sand!
The green sand is cool – but you forgot Coronado – gold sand.
Pink sand is the best!! I have some in a jar that I brought home from “Lighthouse Point” on Eluethra- Bahamas
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Thanks and Regard’s
jhon piter
011-2626320
jhonpiter71 @gmail.com
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Thanks and Regard’s
jhon piter
011-2626320
jhonpiter71 @gmail.com
I haven’t heard about the red sand.SO AMAZING.
http://www.indochinadeluxetravel.com/
Did anyone see Tamm over there.
Pretty cool
Green super-cute!
green look super-cute!
ecco.. green looks super-cute…