WEB DESK: When someone says “beach” you probably think of yellow or white sand, rolling waves, bright sunlight and a beer or fruity cocktail. But beaches come in far more different shapes and colors than some of us might have expected. Here are seven beaches that, in one way or another, might not be anything like the beaches you’re used to.
Unique Glass Beach in California
Image credits: digggs
The glass beach near Fort Bragg in California formed after the trash dumped there for years by local residents was pounded into sand by the surf. The dumping was eventually prohibited, but the glass sand remains.
Image credits: digggs
Shell Beach, Shark Bay, Australia
Image credits: australiascoralcoast.com
The water near Shell Beach in Australia is so saline that the cockle clam has been able to proliferate unchecked by its natural predators. It is this abundance of molluscs that floods the beaches with their shells.
Image credits: Yahoo Images
Maldives Beach That Looks Like Starry Night Sky
Image credits: Will Ho
The lights on this beach in the Maldives are caused by microscopic bioluminescent phytoplankton, which give off light when they are agitated by the surf.
Image credits: Will Ho
Pink Sand Beach, Bahamas
Image credits: greenglobe.travel
The idyllic pink sand of the Bahamas is pigmented by washed-up coral remnants, which are dashed and ground to tiny pieces by the surf.
Image credits: luxuo.com
Green Sand In Kourou, French Guiana
Image credits: Arria Belli.
Image credits: paradisepin.com
Punaluu Black Sand Beach, Hawaii
Image credits: hawaiitopten.com
The black sand on Punaluu is formed by basalt lava, which explodes as it flows into the sea and rapidly cools.
Image credits: poco a poco
Red Sand Beach, Rabida, Galapagos
Image credits: Robert Peternel
The red sand at Rabida was formed due to the oxidization of iron-rich lava deposits, although it could also be due to washed-up coral sediments.
Image credits: Robert Peternel
