Why is Caribbean sand so white?

White Sand. These crazy white, make-you-melt sands in the Caribbean and Mexico are made of eroded limestone and may contain coral and shell fragments, in addition to other organic or organically derived fragmental material. Some sands contain magnetite, chlorite, glauconite or gypsum.



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As for the honor of the world's whitest sand? Well, it goes to the little-known beach at Hyam's Beach, on the shores of Jervis Bay in the Australia state of New South Wales.

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The sand is made from pure white quartz crystal, which came from the Appalachian Mountains at the end of the last Ice Age and was deposited into the Gulf of Mexico.

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Best White Sand Beaches in the United States
  • Coronado Beach, San Diego.
  • Pensacola Beach, Florida.
  • Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida.
  • Flamenco Beach, Puerto Rico.
  • Kaanapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii.
  • Clearwater Beach, Florida.
  • Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
  • Huntington Beach, California.


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Whitehaven Beach, Whitsunday Island, Australia Whitehaven 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.

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1. Blue Hole – Santa Rosa, New Mexico.

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Lake Tahoe
Known for its phenomenal clarity, this ancient lake has the purest waters in North America, making this The Clearest Lake in the United States.

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The 9 most beautiful beaches in the US
  • Pfeiffer Beach, California. ...
  • Miami's South Beach, Florida. ...
  • Folly Beach, South Carolina. ...
  • Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. ...
  • Siesta Key Beach, Florida. ...
  • Gulf Shores, Alabama. ...
  • Waikiki Beach, Hawaii. ...
  • Oxnard Beach Park, California.


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The beautiful white sand and crystal clear water clarity are further amplified by the Choctawhatchee Bay, just north of Destin. Sediment run-off into the waters of Destin is minimized due to the Choctawhatchee Bay and its ability to filter everything before it makes it into the Gulf.

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Many of the Florida Keys' beaches are manmade, or are just a layer of sand over a sliver of limestone. The north is almost always cooler than south, something to remember in both summer and winter.

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For millions of years in the Gulf of Mexico and along the coast the constant grinding and pulverizing motion of the waves have broken down the sand. That creates a situation where the sand becomes so fine it doesn't take more than a small breeze to displace it on the beach. This is called “saltating”.

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