0085 Black Sand Beach, Big Island, Hawaii, USA

Volcanic litharenite, Black Sand Beach, Big Island, Hawaii

Location:

South shore of Big Island, Hawaii, Black Sand Beach

Provenance:

Volcanic sand of recent basaltic lava: along Hawaii's south coast, basaltic lava, up to 1100 deg C hot, is shock-cooled upon contact with the sea water. Glassy beads and highly porous basaltic "spatter" form which are quickly ground up into shards by shoreline surf and swash. The black beach becomes extremely hot under the morning sun.

Composition:

Dominantly light green volcanic glass, isotropic in polarized light. A few colourful clinopyroxen crystals (maybe olivine as well ?) and a few microlithic VRFs.

Petrographic thin section:

Basaltic VRFs

Texture:

Texture of the grains, ecc.

Sample Number:

number of the sample

Collector:

Collector of the sand, Institution

Date:

Date of sampling

Comments:

Further comments on the sand, depositional history, ecc.