One of the first things I noticed when I got serious about exploring Florida’s beaches is the tremendous variety of sand types that make up the beaches. There’s brown sand, gray sand, white sand, black sand, and combinations of all types.
I’ve put together a page of photographs that illustrate many of the varieties of sand and shell that you’ll encounter on Florida’s Beaches. I’m still out there collecting sand samples and sand photographs, so I’ll be adding more photos frequently. Now I have a box at home filled with samples of sand from beaches around the state. Check out my web page about Florida beach sand types.
The page even has a video I made with the VISIT FLORIDA crew at the Fort Myers Beach 21st Annual Sandsculpting Championship Festival back in November 2007. It happens every year, so you might want to drive down and check it out in 2008.
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wow nice one!!!!!!!
It was very refreshing to read and see the photos about sand. Please go on. I shall look forward to read more.
I am staying at Bilmar Beach Resort, Treasure Island, for a few days. The sand here is very white and somewhat gritty . I can see that it is mainly composed of a lot of shell fragments. But I wonder what else is there in the mixture: coral or quartz ? Could you please enlighten me ?
Thank you.
Here along the west coast of Florida, including Treasure Island, the sand is mostly white quartz crystals that have washed down the Mississippi River from the Appalachian mountains. Mixed with the quartz is shell fragments. The tiny dark spots are minerals and organic matter. Further south, near Miami and the Keys you’ll find that the sand is carbonate (mostly made up of coral and other marine animal skeletons, with shell mixed in).
Hello,
I am wondering about the quality of sand used to make these fantastic sculptures. The sand near my area of San Francisco simply does not hold up for creating tall sculptures. Do you use some sort of glue or other hardening material?
Thanks!
John
Hi John, You should watch the video I did of the Sandsculpting Festival on Fort Myers Beach. The sand sculpting masters talked about why the sand is so good. No, they don’t use any glue, just lots and lots of water. “Young” sand is very good because the crystals are very angular. Sand with lots of shell or pebbles mixed in is not so good. Here on the west coast of Florida our sand (in most places) is nearly pure quartz crystals.
The video is here: http://visitflorida.com/video/video_id.67/expert.6