I would like to know about black sand. What is it made of? Are
there any reports that I could look at that would let me understand the
minerals that can be found in black sand? What are ways that one can
mine and separate the minerals contained in black sand? Thank you!
Kelley King
Dear Kelley,
I was lucky to spend lots of time near and on black sand in Hawaii. I
even watched it form! Most of the sand forms as lava pours in the
ocean. This freezes the lava, turning it to black sand (it is black
because it is relatively rich in iron and magnesium). Because the lava
is cooled so quickly there is little time for minerals to form. I don't
remember seeing any minerals in the sand. If there were any you would
need a microscope. The sand could also form be erosion of older lava
flows. These older flows may have cooled slow enough to form minerals.
Olivine would be the most likely mineral.
Steve Mattox, University of North Dakota
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