Why is the sand different in Siesta Key?

The sand on most beaches is composed of a mix of quartz, coral and other minerals, which can give the sand a coarser texture and a darker color. However, on Siesta Key the sand is 99% quartz, which means that it is always silky in texture and cool to the touch even during the hottest summer days.



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Unlike beaches elsewhere that are made up mostly of pulverized coral, Siesta Beach's sand is 99% quartz, most of which comes from the Appalachian Mountains. Over time the feldspar and mica have been removed from the rock, leaving almost pure quartz.

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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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New South Wales, Australia 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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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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