Why do the beaches in some areas have different coloured sand?

Question

My mom went to New Brunswick and the sand was a 'terra cotta' colour. Like a burnt orange.
Other places have white. Here in Ontario the sand on most beaches is 'sand' colour. Beige.

Answer 1

The color of sand has a lot to do with the color of the rock that is in that area. Sand is nothing but tiny particles that have been blown off of rocks.

If you want to see different color sand, try visiting the painted desert . It is miles and miles of nothing, but it is beautiful and well worth seeing, especially when the sun sets, the colors really start to show.

Answer 2

Most sand is directly from the erosion of rocks, so the most likely reason the sand is a particular colour is either from the local rocks or from the the nearest river system which dumps sand from hundreds or thousands of miles away. In Hawaii the black sands are from black volcanic rocks and the white sand is directly from coral eating fish (in one end, out the other).

Answer 3

The color of the sand on beaches is in part determined by the type of rock that is the most plentiful in the coastal location. That is to say, whatever is near. In Hawaii there is black sand, green sand, fine white sand that's nearly like sugar in texture, broad coarsely ground tawny sand as well. All these types of sand are colored by their environment. Black sand is predominantly made up of volcanic cinder, as is Green sand. Green sand is predominantly composed of olivine, a green volcanic glass like stone.White sand and tawny sand are composed of shell matter, coral and sea rocks. The sand in New Brunswick may be colored by iron rich stone that have been broken down by ions of weathering.

Answer 4

I imagine that it has to do with the color of the rock's color where the sand originally came from. For example lava rock is black and in Hawaii near the volcano the sand is black. Terra cotta color sand probably came from a sand stone type rock. white sand is probably quartz.

Answer 5

Beaches on the Gulf Coast are very, very white because they are made-up of mostly quartz. The particles are nearly perfectly round so when you walk in the dry sand it 'squeaks'. Only one other place (somewhere in Africa) where this occurs.
Black beaches are a sign of a recent oil spill --(har!)

Answer 6

It depends on the kind of rocks which form the beach,so,the sand is rocks parted,so,the color of sand changes by the color of the rocks!!!

Answer 7

most sand is biege to white, my understanding is that black and red beaches aren't sand. It some some other sediment.

Answer 8

extremely tough thing. look into from google and yahoo. that could help!

Answer 9

sophisticated problem. query from google and yahoo. just that can assist!

Answer 10

Because different colored water splashes on them ???