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What is sand made of? -

Sandy beaches are mostly made of silica in the form of the mineral quartz. The tan color of most sand beaches is the result of iron oxide, which tints quartz a light brown, and feldspar, which is brown to beige in its original form.

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Sand can come in many different colors -

Pink beaches result from the perpetual decay of single-celled, shelled organisms called foraminifera.

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Volcanic sand -

Black sand, known as volcanic sand, is formed from eroded volcanic material such as lava, basalt rocks, and other dark-colored rocks and minerals. Beaches of this nature are found in Hawaii, the Canary Islands, and the Azores archipelago, among other destinations shaped by seismic activity.

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White sand -

When you walk across white sand, you're treading on calcium carbonate, which is the broken-down skeletons of coral and other marine life.

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Praia do Cassino -

Praia do Cassino, which translates into English as "Casino Beach," is the longest uninterrupted sandy seashore in the world. It stretches south from Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul state to the mouth of the Chuí Stream, on the border with Uruguay—a distance of at least 212 km (132 mi).

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World's tallest sandcastle -

The world's tallest sandcastle built to date was topped out on July 2, 2021 in the seaside town of Blokhus, Denmark. It stood 21.16 m (69.42 ft), a height confirmed by Guinness World Records.

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Beach cusp -

Beach cusps are one of the most commonly observed shoreline features of sandy and gravel beaches, though they are more often seen on pebbly or shingle beaches. The phenomenon occurs when waves are separated by smoothly curved depressions on the beach.

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Beach sand dunes -

Sand dunes play a vital role in the preservation of the ecosystem. They provide natural coastal protection against storm surge and high waves, as well as purchase for coastal flora. Sand dunes also serve as a unique habitat for wildlife.

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Largest sand dune in North America -

The largest sand dune in North America is Star Dune, located in the middle of the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. It stands an impressive 228 m (750 ft).

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Sand from fish poop? -

Did you know that the odd-looking giant bumphead parrotfish excretes white sand? Think about that the next time you hit the coral-hued beaches of the Pacific and Australasia.

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Could beaches disappear by the end of the century? -

Here's a worrying forecast published in the journal Nature Climate Change: a substantial proportion of the world's sandy coastline is already eroding, a situation that is likely exacerbated by climate change. In fact, recent trends in shoreline dynamics and coastal recession could result in the disappearance of beaches by the end of the century.

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The Empty Quarter is anything but -

The Rub' al-Khali in Saudi Arabia, commonly called the "Empty Quarter," is the largest area of continuous sand in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. It's pictured here seen from the Space Shuttle Columbia, which gives you an idea of just how vast the desert is.

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How big is a grain of sand? -

Sand is rock with a diameter of between 0.625 mm and 0.2 mm. And get this: according to British mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, the number of grains of sand on Earth is a number with 27 digits. Do the math!

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What's a beach berm? -

A beach berm is a terrace of a beach that has formed in the backshore, above the water level at high tide. It's created by landward transport of  material by the wave uprush, or swash.

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Why does sand stick? -

Sand retains water. This means it holds on to the moisture in your skin and your hair... or a damp towel and even your bucket and spade! Handy tip: baby powder is one of the best ways to remove stubborn sand from in between your toes and other areas of the body.

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World's largest sand island -

At 1,840 sq km (710 sq mi), Fraser Island in Queensland, Australia, is considered the world's largest sand island.

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When did the beach vacation become popular? -

The beach vacation rose to popularity in Britain late in the 18th century. The Victorian era saw the introduction of bathing machines (pictured), designed to protect the modesty of bathers. Pulled to the edge of the sea by horses, they were moved according to the tides. Would-be bathers then could enter the machine at the back fully clothed and emerge in a swimming costume from the front, straight into the sea.

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First public beach opens in America -

Revere Beach near Boston in Massachusetts became the first public beach in the United States, opening in 1896.

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Coast not countryside -

Did you know that Americans make more than 400 million visits to the country's coasts and beaches every year? That's more than those visiting all state and national parks combined. Pictured is a ridiculously crowded Coney Island Beach in 1940.

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The road to Jacksonville Beach -

The first paved road connecting a city to a beach was that linking Jacksonville in Florida to its famous beach. The highway opened in 1910, and the family beach getaway followed.

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Most visited American beach -

And we stay in Florida, where, according to Newsweek, Panama City Beach receives the largest number of year-round visitors of any American beach town, eager to hit its 43 km (27 mi) of uninterrupted golden band of sand.

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A beach made of shells -

The aptly named Shell Beach in the Shark Bay region of Western Australia is made up entirely of tiny cockle shells—trillions of them!

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The most photographed beach in the world? -

A beach with film star looks, Anse Source d'Argent on the island of La Gigue in the Seychelles is said to be the most photographed on the planet.

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First clothing-optional beach -

Rab Island in Croatia is known as a pioneer of naturism, but in a most unlikely way. In 1936, King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson went for a royal skinny-dip off one of the island's secluded stretches of sand—and the fist official naturist beach was created!

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Tallest sand dune in the word -

The Cerro Blanco sand dune near Nazca in Peru is said to be the tallest sand dune in the world, at 1,176 m (3,860 ft) from base to peak.

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The dunes of Moreton Island -

The tallest collection of sand dunes are said to be those on Moreton Island in Australia, with the monster they call Mount Tempest measuring up at 278 m (912 ft).

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Dune of Pilat -

Europe's loftiest wedge of sand meanwhile is found in France, at La Teste-de-Buch in the Arcachon Bay area southwest of Bordeaux. It's height is about 106 m (347 ft) above sea level.

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Sand-dwelling wildlife -

Numerous different species of wildlife call the desert home. Some, like the fringe-toed lizard (pictured), bury themselves under the sand to escape extreme heat.

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Sand extraction -

According to the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP), sand is the second-largest resource extracted and traded by volume.

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Where is the most sand, anywhere? -

The Sahara Desert has the most sand in terms of volume. But here's the twist: beneath the sands of the Sahara scientists have discovered evidence of a prehistoric megalake, formed around 250,000 years ago. 

Sources: (National Ocean Service) (Guinness World Records) ('Sandy Beach Morphodynamics') (Nature Climate Change) (The Guardian) (NASA Earth Observatory) (Newsweek) (The Scottish Mail on Sunday) (UNEP) (Smithsonian Insider)

See also: Famous movies set in the desert

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