White Skeletal Sand Beaches, Hawaii

By John Ebert and Paul Ebert

While on our trip to study and observe Hawaiian volcanism, we were also fortunate to visit some of Hawaii's most beautiful and popular beaches. Some of these beaches are made of soft, white skeletal sand.

There are many types of skeletal sands. Different kinds of skeletal particles in an ancient limestone reflect the age and depositional setting of the sediment. The specific kinds of organisms that exist in a given setting are determined by such factors as water depth, water temperature, salinity, and turbidity.

Here are several pictures of Hapuna Beach, which lies on the northwest side of the big island of Hawaii. It is composed of skeletal sand. One can see that these sands make beautiful, picturesque beaches. Also shown is a picture of a cemented skeletal sand beach rock exposure at Hookipa State Park, Maui.