Sand Under a Microscope - Magnified Sand Photos

Lindisfarne (also known as "Holy Island") was formed from rocks of a type of geological intrusion called a sill and includes a mix of sedimentary, intrusive, and extrusive igneous rocks...

The Falkland Islands are a remote South Atlantic archipelago with rugged terrain and cliff-lined coasts located on a projection of the Patagonian continental shelf...

Geologically Alexandria's coastline is made up of soil sediments, oolitic sand and clay, and various types of limestone and dolomite...

Ao Phang Nga National Park is world renowned for the white sandy beaches and crystal clear water as well as dramatic cliffs that have been formed...

Zanzibar is home to powdery white sand, calm crystal blue waters, and exotic flora and fauna. Being near to the equator...

Conero’s Two Sisters beach consists primarily of large limestone sand grains formed from marine sediment during the Jurassic period...

Unlike Japan's typical rocky and rugged coastline, Kujukuri Beach is a 66-kilometer length of sandy beach...

The coastline here consists of an intricate pattern of inlets and islands and offers magnificent views...

The sandy beach of Shichirigahama is formed by the erosive action of the sea and includes strata of sedimentary rock with occasional fossils...

Kannonzaki  beach is set in a natural environment that protrudes into Tokyo Bay and boasts of golden sand and crystal clear water...

Gun Beach sand is comprised of marine sand grains with a high percentage of partially worn light tan Baculogypsina sp. foraminifera species...

The west coast of Newfoundland with its 550-million-year-old volcanic and sedimentary rock is home to some of the oldest rocks in the world...

This beach sand sample is comprised mostly of a wide spectrum of colorful igneous and metamorphic rock including dark basaltic rock...

The Ibusuki volcanic field is an area of current volcanic and geothermal activity at the tip of the Satsuma Peninsula...

Ain Diab beach stretches for about three kilometers along the Atlantic Ocean and is often referred to as Casablanca's version of Miami...

Famous for its pure, turquoise, aquamarine waters and pebble beach, the Ölüdeniz beach is known for its beautifully serene blue lagoon...

This sand includes quartz and feldspar sand grains, many with right angle edges, along with greenish and black volcanic sand grains...

The darker sand grains of Phaselis beach reflect the predominantly geological origin of the beach sand. Small fragments of biogenic grains...

Kusadasi is a beach resort town situated along a gulf on the Aegeqn coast. This sand features smooth larger sand grains along with smaller rough-edged grains...

Sand collected from around Göreme’s unique rock formations is characterized by large amounts of small and larger fragmented silica and feldspar...

Angel Road sand is a mixture of larger and smaller light and dark tan sand grains that show minimal evidence of smoothing by wave action...

Akaishi Beach sand primarily consists of marine sand grains representing broken fragments of coral and forams worn smooth by wave action...

The composition of the beach consists primarily of silt, sand, and crushed seashells. The shape of the sandy beach is influenced by...

Minami Beach is covered with white and tan marine sand grains representing several different foraminifera species...

Kondoi beach is known for white soft sand and shallow, crystal-clear emerald green water. It is one of the longest beaches in Okinawa...

Hasaki Beach is covered by essentially 100% small geological sand grains with clear quartz, tan and yellow feldspar...

The Doigahama site is located in the center of the small plain on the coast of Hibiki Bay, where stunning white sand dunes...

Fukuura Beach sand is a mixture of dark and lightly colored volcanic sand grains, large and small transparent quartz sand grains...

Originally part of the Asian mainland, the volcanic Oki Islands separated from the Asian mainland 10,000 years ago. Four of 180 islands that make up...

Most of the South Island consists of rock known as greywacke that under heat and pressure was transformed into schist in the west and south...

Sand along the Mediterranean coast of Israel consists mostly of marine and shell fragments with less dark volcanic and clear quartz sand grains...

Galapagos beaches have a characteristic mixture of light and dark sand grains reflecting its geological origin and abundant aquatic marine life, including worn fragments of tan and reddish bivalve chards...

Sand samples from two locations in Inishmore. Distinct tan, red striped, and white shell fragments are present along with a collection of dark metamorphic sand grains...

Barbados beaches are characterized by uniform fine white sand with a sprinkling of pink and red sand grains. Pink and red fragments of marine organisms stand out in contrast to shell and calcareous algae...

Aside from occasional clear and reflective quartz sand grains and some small black grains, some of which may be volcanic, the majority of the sand grains are smooth white and tan shell fragments...

This sand is a mixture of clear quartz grains, light yellow-tan rounded feldspar grains with some right angle edges, and darker greenish-gray metamorphic sand grains...

A mixture of tan to white opaque fragments of mollusk shells along with some purple and gray shell fragments (upper center) accompany the numerous dark gray to black sand grains of volcanic origin...

Reynisfjara Beach sand is a mixture of variably size black and gray grains along with a few white and red grains. This sand is of volcanic origin with a conspicuous absence of any fragments...

Variably sized light tan, dark tan and white small fragments of sea shells with occasional larger darker fragments characterize this beach that stretches for over 10 kilometers...

This sand is a mixture of white, tan, gray and black sand grains. All are smoothly worn from long exposure to wave action. White and tan grains are worn fragments of marine shells...

This sand is a mixture of white, tan, gray and black sand grains. White and tan grains are fragments of marine shells. Dark sand grains are fragments of basalt and other metamorphic rocks...

Djúpavík, a small village in the Northwest of Iceland in the Westfjords region, consists of seven houses, a hotel and the ruins of a herring factory. In the mid 1930’s Djúpavík...

The sand at Diamond Beach consists mostly of dark gray and black volcanic rock broken down by ocean and glacier rivers over centuries to form the black sand beach. White, tan and reddish sand grains also of...

Known for its striking beauty, unique geomorphology, and picturesque coves, the Lizard Peninsula is legendary for its 18th century smuggling trade and shipwrecks in nearby reefs. This area, known as...

The Island of Bali, like most islands of the Indonesian archipelago, resulted from the tectonic subduction of the Indo-Australian plate under the Eurasian plate. The tertiary ocean floor, consisting of ancient marine...

Sand Beach is comprised of fine-grained sand while other Maine beaches that are open to waves and storms consist of pebbles, cobbles and boulders. In contrast to the mixed marine and geological...

The thick tan sand is derived primarily from igneous and highly folded metamorphic rock and includes quartz and reddish-tan alkali feldspar. Smoothly rounded sand grains...

With a natural geology like none other in the world, this elliptical island is comprised of Holocene volcanic rocks resulting from several volcanic eruptions with the most recent...

Auturias beaches, such as Tazones in northern Spain, face the Catabrian sea that is the southern part of the Bay of Biscay. The diverse benthic habitat in the Catabrian Sea provides hotspots for biodiversity...

Syotenkyo Kazuranohama Beach is a long swimming beach of white sands, green pines, and shallow waters sandwiched between the Sea of Japan and Kumihama Bay in the northwesternmost region of Kyoto...

The seas surrounding Cuba have a varied and abundant biomass including diverse corals, soft sponges, sea grass beds, and more than 7000 species of fish, crustaceans and other marine life...

The west coast of Newfoundland with its 550-million-year-old volcanic and sedimentary rock is home to some of the oldest rocks in the world. This area is a visible example of the obduction process...

Dark volcanic sand is carried from the adjacent rugged mountainous terrain and deposited at the mouth of the Ora River. In contrast, nearby Isla Chora sand is primarily biogenic...

Isla Chora sand is primarily biogenic with a scattering of variably sized light greenish-gray porphyritic basalt stippled with vesicles that have been filled with microscopic quartz and other mineral crystals...

In terms of geological time, Elba Island is young with variable topographical features. Highly variably sized sand grains originate from geological activity 50 million years ago...

The tan color sand consist primarily of compacted skeletal remains of ancient globigerina foraminifera. The surrounding Mediterranean water have contributed additional biogenic components...

San Fruttuoso beach is a mixture of larger and small sand grains reflecting the minerals of the adjacent Portofino mountainous terrain with occasional biogenic sand grains...

Beach sand from the Hirakubozaki area is rich in well-rounded biogenic grains representing skeletal remains of foraminifera species and fragments of coral, coralline algae, various shells...

Beach sand from the Bay of Banderas is a variable mixture of colorful sand grains mostly 1 millimeter or less in size with angular edges geologically indicative of relatively young sand...