Sandcastles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hawaii

Punaluu beach is located near the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, on the Big Island. There the black sand beaches are a truly unforgettable sight. Coconut palms fringe the upper edges of the sand and the Hawaiian Green Sea turtle basks on the beach. Do not mess with the turtles or attempt to remove any of the black sand from the beach.

Answer: Isle of Wight

Alum Bay is a part of the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England. The sands are colored, especially yellow, due to oxidized iron compounds.

Answer: A sand boil

A sand boil is sand and water that comes onto the ground surface during an earthquake as a result of liquefaction at shallow depth. Liquefaction occurs when ground shaking distorts the granular structure of the ground causing some loosely packed groups of grains to collapse together.

Answer: Negev

A makhtesh is an unusual geological landform found in the Negev Desert, Israel. It has steep walls and a closed valley. These are full of a colored sands and rocks.

Answer: Papakolea, Hawaii

One of only four green sand beaches in the world, Papakolea is named for the olivine that makes up the sand. This is a very secluded beach located on the South Point of Hawaii. It is a two mile hike to get to the beach that is very difficult to climb up and down. And don't swim at this beach as the waters are very turbulent.

Answer: True

Black sand is composed of volcanic glass, rock fragments, and crystals in different proportions. Lithified volcanic ash is called "tuff". Olivine, pyroxene, and magnetite are the most characteristic minerals of most volcanic sand deposits.

Answer: True

Red Rock Canyon State Park is found in Nevada. It features scenic desert cliffs, buttes, sands, and spectacular rock formations mostly in shades of red. It is a place to go if you are ever in the area.

Answer: Hematite

Red, orange, or pink sand can occur when sand is covered with hematite. The amount of covering dictates what color that resulting sand is.

Answer: Death Valley

The sand dunes of Death Valley is an excellent place for the study of nature. The whole area is a protected as a wilderness and there is no vehicle traffic allowed. It has sand as white a snow and full of protected plants and animals.

Answer: Lake Razazah

The Euphrates river dumps into this area known as Lake Razazah. The lake levels are seasonal and rise and fall each year. This incoming flux leaves sand in many different colors. Yellow sand is one of the primary types.