.All Trips / Hawaii / North America

Black Sand and Green Turtles

‘u Black Sand Beach (5)

I love visiting the Big Island, my favorite of the Hawaiian Islands.  I think the main reasons are because of its active volcanoes and large stretches of undeveloped land.  The volcanoes especially fascinate me and draw me to see them again and again.  It’s because of its volcanoes that Big Island has so many black sand beaches — black sand is only formed by the breakdown of lava rock, often when hot lava encounters the ocean, solidifies, then shatters in the powerful surf.  White sand generally is due to the breakdown of shells, corals, and other organic matter. 

An excellent example of a black sand beach is Punalu’u Black Sand Beach Park, located on the southeastern Kau coast.  Since black sand …

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