Pink sand beaches get their color from thousands of broken coral pieces, shells, and calcium carbonate materials left behind by foraminifera (tiny sea creatures with red and pink shells) that live in nearby coral reefs.
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Pink sand beaches are pretty rare around the world, as the conditions have to be just right to create them.
Olivine SandSand of almost exclusively olivine grains is very rare, and Papakolea is one of only four green sand beaches in the world. The others are Hornindalsvatnet in Norway, Punta Cormorant in the Galapagos Islands, and Talofofo Beach in Guam.
Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, AustraliaWhitehaven Beach is consistently ranked as the world's best beach, and with good reason: It's almost surreally beautiful. Besides its crystal clear waters, it's known for its white sand, consisting of 98% pure silica which gives it a bright white color.
Purple beaches are a phenomenon caused by the presence of a large amounts of almandine-pyrope garnet. or other purple minerals like manganese or rose quartz that have accumulated in the local sediment.
Black sand beaches are located all over the world, from the sheer-sided caldera of Santorini in Greece to the geothermal hotspot of the Canary Islands, as well as mountainous Hawaii, lush Tahiti, Japan, and several islands in the Caribbean.
One of the main highlights of Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur is the famous purple sand. Erosion of the cliffs above, which contain Manganese garnet rocks, is responsible for the incredible plum-like colors you see here.