What is black sand?

Beaches are everyone’s favorite destination. During the summers, thousands of people flock to these tourist destinations to have a fun time under the sun.

However, the common complaint that people have is the abundance of sand that stays in their lives for a few weeks after the vacation. 
 
Sand in itself is a granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. It comes in various compositions but is mainly defined by its size.

Many people question, what is sand made of?

Well, much of the world's sand is made out of the same stuff, tiny crystals of the mineral quartz, which is made out of silica and oxygen, the two most common elements in Earth's crust. 
 
The classifications of sand are based on the size of the granules and can be mainly divided into 5 sub-categories. These categories are- very fine sand ( 1⁄16 – 1⁄8 mm diameter), fine sand ( 1⁄8 mm – 1⁄4 mm), medium sand ( 1⁄4 mm – 1⁄2 mm), coarse sand ( 1⁄2 mm – 1 mm), and very coarse sand (1 mm – 2 mm).
 
Well, now that we have a deeper understanding of these golden stretches next to oceans and seas, let us talk about a particular kind of sand.

One of the most aesthetically pleasing and pretty things on the planet, black sand is found on many beaches across the world.

Black sand has many types.

One type of black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly magnetic mixture of usually fine sands containing minerals such as magnetite found as part of a placer deposit.

Another type of black sand, found on beaches near a volcano, consists of tiny fragments of basalt. 
 
The real question lies in how this sand acquires the beautiful black color.

The reason lies in what the constituents of this kind of sand are.

Black sand comes from eroded volcanic material such as lava, basalt rocks, and other dark-colored rocks and minerals, and is typically found on beaches near volcanic activity.
 
Many people question if this kind of sand is valuable as they are made of a lot of precious metals.

However, it is important to note that every black sand is not made of such things.

Nevertheless, any taken from known mineralized areas such as gravels that contain placer gold almost always do.

The value of the gold, silver, and platinum can vary widely even on assays taken on samples from the same gravels.
 
Some beaches are predominantly made of black sand.

Even many other color beaches, such as gold and white can often have deposits of black sand.

This is an especially common occurrence after a storm.

Larger waves can sort out sand grains leaving deposits of heavy minerals visible on the surface of erosion escarpments.
 
Some famous beaches that are famous for their black sand are- Anse Chastanet, Saint Lucia, Caribbean, Number One Beach, Dominica, Caribbean, Playa Negra, Puerto Rico, Perissa Beach, Greece, Benijo Beach, Canary Islands, Paola Beach, Hawaii. And Saint-Pierre Beach, Martinique, Caribbean.

In India, Kovalam Beach boasts of this. Timati beach is a very small beach with similar black sand across its stretch.