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Why is the Gulf of Mexico sand so white?

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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Beach sand, in particular, can provide the following benefits: Exfoliation: Sand functions is an effective natural exfoliant that clears dead skin cells away. Softness: Spending time in the sand can leave your skin feeling fresh and extra soft.

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Although the Gulf of Mexico is considered to be a part of the Atlantic Ocean, since an ocean has no boundaries, the Gulf and the Atlantic are still separated by the Caribbean Sea. In addition to their boundaries, there are numerous ways these two bodies of water vary and therefore, the beaches we enjoy are unique.

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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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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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Olivine Sand Sand of almost exclusively olivine grains is very rare, and Papakolea is one of only four green sand beaches in the world.

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