Nature
Papakōlea Beach, near South Point on Hawaiʻi Island, is one of only two green sand beaches in the world. Its color comes from olivine crystals eroded from Puʻu Mahana, a volcanic tuff ring that partly encloses the bay. As the headland wears away, waves carry off lighter ash and leave the denser green crystals concentrated along the shore. Puʻu Mahana formed more than 49,000 years ago along Mauna Loa’s southwest rift, and its partially collapsed cone exposes layers from earlier eruptions and lava flows. The name Papakōlea means plover flats, recalling Pacific golden plovers seen there in winter.
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Discovery Harbour, Hawaii · United States
