The Different Types of Sand
There are many different types of sand around the world. Sand is a very curious material composed of many mineral particles and divided rock. The most common material that constitutes the sand is the silicon dioxide. The size of a sand particle normally ranges from .0625 mm to 2 mm; if the size of the particle exceeds the range it is called gravel however if is smaller than .0625 mm is generally called silt. Now even when most of the sand is generally made of silica (silicon dioxide) not all the sand is composed in the exact same way.
The types of sand vary according to its location. The beaches around the world are great places to find sand. Not all of them have the same type of sand though; they come in a variety of colors and textures.
In some regions there are beaches of white, black and even green sand. All of the types have different origins and depend entirely on their geological conditions. Some of the sand kinds occur more often than others for example: the white and the black beaches are way more common than the green ones.
Types of Beach Sand Categories:
The white sand beaches are very common in tropical areas.
Many tropical popular touristic destinations like Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic have beaches with white sand. This sand mostly consists of little fragments of corals and broken seashells. In beaches where the waves are very strong the edges of seashells are normally broken by the action of the waves creating a smooth surface. You can also find other beaches where waves are very weak creating coarser sand grains and a less smooth surface. Another sand mineral that can give the white color to the sand is the quartz. A beach with plenty of quartz looks very white and shiny.
Black beach sand is also quite usual to see.
The components of the black sand are very different from those of the white type. In the island of Maui (Hawaii), for example, there is a beach with plenty of black sand.
The specific black sand consists of basalt which is a material produced by volcanic eruptions. The basalt grains get their shape by the impact of the winds and waves. Other minerals that can create black sand are magnetite and hornblende. These minerals are often transported to the beach by the rivers.
There is a rare sand type known as green sand.
Green sand can be found in certain beaches, one of them located in the island of Guam. That kind of sand is the result of many olivine crystals. The crystals are created from basalt lava remains in the surrounding area.
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