We took a drive down to Talofofo Beach; it is a nice little place to stop if you are just going for a scenic drive around the southern tip of the island. Most people just drive on by without stopping, but it is actually a really interesting spot if you do your homework, but a majority of people on Guam don't even know much about it. The beach may look unassuming, but it is actually one of only four green sand beaches in the world. These are Talofofo Beach, Guam; Punta Cormorant of Floreana Island, Galapagos; Papakolea Beach, Hawaii; and Hornindalsvatnet, Norway. The sand gets its green color from Olivine (Peridot) crystals eroded from Basalt Lava. Talofofo Beach also gets extra unique points for also having magnetic black sand mixed in. You can take a magnet to the beach and pull out lots of black sand particles, you can also see black streaks on the beach where the waves have separated the fine black sand from the rest of the sand. It is one of the only beaches in Guam where you can surf because the waves break in the bay and it doesn't have a shallow coral reef or cliffs like the rest of the island.
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| The black sand gives it a really dark brown color |
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| Theo wasn't thrilled to pose for a picture. |
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| The waves sifting and separating the sand |
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| Glamour shot of our car, haha, we liked the interesting rock formation overlooking the bay |
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| You can't see the Ovaline pieces unless you look really, really close |
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| I brought some sand home and separated the black sand out using a magnet |
Here's a
map link if you want to see it on your own!
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Buenas yan Hafa Adai! Thank you so much for posting this. Your blog lead to me do more research in why the sand is actually black. It's crazy how much we take for granted the beauty our own island gives us until we're so far away from home and miss it. Most every time I went to Talofofo Bay was to sit and have lunch and enjoy the black sand. A lot of the locals don't really lounge too long or often here because the water is usually choppy but I assure you the locals know about this beach and go often. Most of the time you can find surfers at this beach. Thank you for posting this. At first I couldn't find you but I did tag you in your photo that I shared in my post on Hinengge. I appreciate you, your attention to detail, and you spotlighting my home in your blog.
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