Hawaii/Big Island: Papakolea Green Sand Beach
Papakolea Green Sand Beach is an absolutely unique place where the beach sand is a stunning green color (there are only 5 green beaches in the world – the other 4 being in Galapagos, Norway, Guam, and Capo Verde). A rough 4WD road takes you to this little known, but absolutely spectacular beach (it’s borderline impossible to drive this yourself and rugged beat-up trucks can take you there on a tour). The distinctive green color of the sand at Papakōlea Beach is due to the presence of olivine, a semi-precious mineral that is formed during volcanic eruptions. Olivine is typically found in volcanic rocks, and as these rocks erode, the olivine crystals are deposited on the beach, giving it its distinctive hue. Papakōlea Beach is situated within a cinder cone known as Pu’u Mahana, which was formed by volcanic activity thousands of years ago. The olivine crystals found in the sand are remnants of the volcanic activity that created the cinder cone. Over time, the olivine-rich rocks have been weathered and eroded, resulting in the green sand beach. The beach is stunning and spectacular and there is a smaller beach to the west of it with even greener sand and larger olivine crystals.
