This unique green beach is called Papakolea Beach and is located in Mahana Bay, near South Point on the Big Island. This is one of the two beaches in the world that is covered with unique green sand. The second green beach is also in the United States. It is located on the island of Guam and is called Talofofo.
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| Papakolea Beach |
Papakolea is a beach of volcanic origin, and to see it, you need to make some effort. It is quite difficult to get to it: you need to spend about 4 hours on it, first obtaining a special permit. The visit is not free, but not very expensive.
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| Papakolea Beach |
This emerald beach is surrounded by cliffs on three sides and the Pacific Ocean on the fourth. The beach owes its color to the mineral chrysolite, which is also called olivine, mixed with volcanic sand. It is a gemstone composed of iron and magnesium silicate. Due to the connection of these elements, the stone can take on different shades of gold, pistachio, yellow, brown or olive green. And it can also have the color of fresh spring grass.
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| Papakolea Beach |
Around the beach there are signs that warn that taking sand from the beach is strictly prohibited. Only in this unique place you can literally run and sunbathe on precious stones that are widely used in the jewelry industry. The rocks surrounding the beach contain fairly large deposits of chrysolite, which is also called the "Hawaiian diamond". The green shade of the stone depends on the amount of iron in the crystal. This precious beach will not leave anyone indifferent.
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| Papakolea Beach |
From a distance, Papakolea Beach does appear green, but as you get closer, you can see that it turns olive-gold. There are fears that in 100-150 years the ocean could wash away all this sand: the surf in the beach area is strong enough, so scientists believe that this is quite possible. In addition, large waves are one of the reasons why tourists are in no hurry to swim in the Pacific Ocean: this is only possible during periods of calm. Alluring ocean waters and local unique landscapes attract many.