Amazing Beaches

7/28/2019 Amazing Beaches

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EnergyHabitatsHomesImagesNatureTechTravelWonders

Shore Beauty: The Worlds 10 Most Amazing Beaches

By Steve in 7 Wonders Series, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems

Beaches mark the borders between sea and land, and as such have unique characteristics derivedfrom both geological parents (no wonder everyone wants a beach home). These 10 amazing
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beaches showcase the best, the brightest and the most sublime sandy shores ever to rock your

world!

Red Beach, Kaihalulu, Hawaii

(images via: Patrick Smith and Xigre)
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The Red Sand Beach of Kaihalulu can be found on the Hawaiian island of Maui, south of Hana

Bay on the far side of Kauiki Hill. The beach is relatively narrow, a factor which combined with

its isolation makes it popular with nude sunbathers.

(image via: About.com/Hawaii )

From high overhead, the Kaihalulu Red Sand Beach takes on a rusty hue reflecting the high iron

oxide (rust) content in the sand eroding from an inland cinder cone. Add water, as the Pacific

Ocean does with each crashing wave, and the rust-red sands take on a darker, more rufous hue.

Shell Beach, St. Barts
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(images via: TrekEarth, Completely Coastal and Amoeba Sailing Tours)

Every beachcomber enjoys searching for exquisite, exotic seashells while walking along theshore, and one wont have to walk far if they happen to be at Shell Beach, near Gustavia on the

Caribbean island of St. Barts. A fortuitous combination of abundant marine life, strong currents

and the odd hurricane has, over the centuries and millennia, driven countless seashells onto the

sands of this eponymously named beach.

(image via: Byron Jorjorian)

St. Barts boasts a surprising number of beautiful beaches for its size. Though none approach

Shell Beachs ratio ofshells to sand, most offer a more pleasing surface for those who choose to

go shoeless.

Hyams Beach, New South Wales, Australia
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(ima

ges via: Rates to Go and Koti/mbnet)
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Though many beaches sell themselves by advertising their pristine white sand, Hyams Beach in

southern Australia takes the cake with vanilla icing on top. Located 3 hours drive south of

Sydney, the beachs fine, soft, powdery white sands are recognized by none other than TheGuinness Book of Records as having the whitest sand in the world. Those planning a trip should

put both sunglasses and sunscreen atop their to bring list.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyams_Beachhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyams_Beach


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(image

via: Grevillia Cottage)

The outstanding photograph above was taken by Bill Kaloudis on the north side ofHyams Beach

on the shore of Jervis Bay. Even with limited light, the beachs brilliant white sands manage to

reflect enough sunlight to stand out from the darker rocks at the waters edge.
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Papakolea Beach, Hawaii

(images via: PBase, About.com/Chemistry, PBase and Big Island Divers)
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Sea of blue, and beach of green Apologies to The Beatles Yellow Submarine, but Hawaiis

Papakolea Beach would make even the bluest Meanie grin. This exquisite emerald beach can be

found at South Point in the Kau district on Hawaiis Big Island. Green sand beaches areexceedingly rare the only other ones in the world can be found on the United States territory of

Guam and in the Galapagos Islands.

(im

age via: Xigre)

The sands of Papakolea Beach are tinted green by crystals ofolivine, a mineral common in

igneous rocks but heavier and denser than black pyridoxine that is more easily washed out to sea.

Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK
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(images

via: Micbinks and Charmouth Fossils)
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(image via: BrettB.com)

From time immemorial, fossils of extinct sea creatures dating back tens or even hundreds ofmillions of years have been eroding out onto the beaches ofDorset, England. One of the most

famous sites is Lyme Regis where fossil ammonites tentacled cephalopods that grew to

astonishing sizes literally litter the beach. The pyritized ammonite shell above lurks amonggrains of beach sand from the so-called fossil beach at Stonebarrow, Charmouth, Dorset in theUnited Kingdom.
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(image via: The Dorset Coast)

Fossils aside, the beaches in south-west England are some of the prettiest in all Europe,

especially those near the village of Charmouth beneath towering Golden Cap, the highest cliff insouthern England.

Punaluu Beach, Hawaii
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(images via: Hawaii Resort Rentals, Igougo and This Is True)

The deep black sands ofPunaluu Beach in Hawaii were created when hot erupting lava met coldocean water, exploding into tiny bits. The name Punalu means diving beach in the native

Hawaiian tongue; referring to the practice by ancestral Hawaiians of diving down to where

freshwater springs poured into the ocean and filling up water jugs in times of drought on land.
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(image via: This Is True)

The black sands of Punaluu Beach attract more than just us humans. At Punaluu Beach Park,green sea turtles and occasionally hawksbill turtles heave themselves onto the beach to lay their

eggs in the sun-warmed black sands. Its against the law to interact with the turtles in any way,

so visitors to the beach are advised to please look but dont touch.

Pink Sand Beaches, Bermuda and the Bahamas
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(imagesvia: Seabird and Concierge)

The Pink Sands Beach in Harbour Island, The Bahamas is one of the most beautiful pink sand

beaches in the world. Part of the allure is due to the pleasing combination of pastel pink sand andthe shallow Caribbean water that provides a contrasting turquoise shade. The pink tint is derived

from several sources, including finely ground coral and microscopic red plankton blending with

white quartz and limestone sand.
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(images via: Wandalust and Cruise Line Fans)

The island of Bermuda is also famed for itspink beaches, in fact they are one of the British-held

islands most enduring attractions.

Ramla il-Hamra Bay and San Blas Beach, Malta
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(images via: Carmelo Aquilina, Gozo Farmhouse and My Malta Info)

Volcanic ash and golden limestone in the surrounding rocks combine to create the rich orange

sands that distinguish the beaches at Ramla il-Hamra Bay and San Blas on the Maltese island ofGozo. San Blas beach is smaller and more isolated all the better to enjoy this Mediterraneannations soothing sunlight and unique scenic vistas.
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(imagevia: Tranquility)

Unlike some beautifully tinted beaches, the source of Ramla il-Hamras orange sand is

unlimited, derived from the rock that makes up the island of Gozo itself. Future generations canenjoy these beaches, well, from here to eternity!

Pfeiffer Beach Big Sur, California, USA
http://tranquilitygozomalta.com/gozo.asphttp://tranquilitygozomalta.com/gozo.asp


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(images via: Uptake Beach and Travelling Board)

Pfeiffer Beach is situated beneath crumbling hills that have released, over time, billions of tinygarnet crystals. The blood-red garnets shimmer in the sand, bringing it alive with reflected

sunlight. The action of the waves shapes and twists the tiny crystals into ever-changing iridescentrainbow patterns glowing pink, red, magenta and purple.
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(image via: Brendio)

Though the world isnt necessarily as colorful as the above image would indicate, it doesnt have

to be Mother Nature has plenty of special effects of her own!

Glass Beach, Fort Bragg, California
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brendio/http://www.flickr.com/photos/brendio/


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(images via: Fort Bragg Attractions and Oddity Central)

Looking out overGlass Beach today, its hard to believe the scenic location was used as the local

dump for almost 20 years. Area residents used the beach, originally owned by a lumber

company, as a de facto rubbish heap from 1950 through 1967 when municipal authorities finally

moved to designate an official dump site inland. Most of the heavier garbage was removed butthe mighty Pacific finished the clean-up by gradually grinding down tons of broken glass into

pretty, rounded pebbles.
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(image via: Xigre)

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, glass to sand? Both beach sand and glass are made of the samesubstance, silicon dioxide (SiO2) though sand contains bits of other rocks as well. The forces

that have transformed man-made glass into natural looking pebbles and sand reflect the age-old

weathering process that has occurred at the worlds beaches since long before human beingseven existed.
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