This morning, we drove to South Point, the south-most parcel of land in the U.S. It's a lovely place that we have visited many times. However, today we turned left at the last paved junction, and drove to the parking area for shuttles to the Green Sand Beach (also know as Papakolea). We had decided that we really wanted to visit the beach, and there was no way we wanted to walk there (3 miles each direction, up and down over a rutted road in hot, dry, windy conditions, although many more adventurous people made the walk). We hired a 4-wheel-drive truck driver for a private tour.
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| The road through the grassland |
The green beach is composed of olivine that was produced by the volcanic cone Pu'u Mahana. The cone was formed 49,000 years old at a time when the site was 400 feet higher, and the sea level was 230 feet lower. It formed olivine-rich magma 600 feet above sea level. Olivine is heavier than many other minerals, and it accumulated at the base of Pu'u Mahana. When the ocean level arrived at the base, the green sand beach resulted. It's quite lovely.
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| Looking down at the base of Pu'u Mahana |
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| Olivine crystals in lava rock |
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| Small patches of green sand on a nearby beach |
Great day to be seeing such a lovely site.
History courtesy of Walter Dudley: Secrets of the Sand (in Ke Ola magazine).
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