Elba Island is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea between Tuscany and the island of Corsica. In terms of geological time, Elba Island is young originating from activity 50 million years ago. It is one of the most important mineralogical locations in the world where over 150 minerals can be found. Some of Elba’s granite is present in the Pantheon and Colosseum in Rome.
Elba Island has a rich early history of settlement by the Etuscans in 480 BC and later by the Romans. In the mid-1600’s it was devastated by Barbary pirates and in late more modern times occupied by the British and then the French. Napoleon was exiled to Elba Island on 30 May 1814. Today Elba Island is an important international tourist destination.
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. Clear transparent and cloudy grains are silica. The silica grains are quite hard with sharp angles, indicating that they have not been worn down by wave and wind action, a process that takes millions of years in geological time. Specks of black in quartz sand grains are pieces of hornblende (amphibole) phenocrysts of volcanic origin. A few biogenic grains of marine origin are also present in Elba Island sand.
Marina di Campo
Light tan and white sand covers the beach with its extensive shallow waters.
On the southern coast of Elba Island, Marina di Campo beach boasts of calm and crystal-clear water.
The majority of sand grains in this view include clear quartz, off white and yellowish felspar, and black basalt. The large brown sand grain with parallel protrusions is a sea urchin plate fragment. The elongated white sand grain to the right of the sea urchin plate is a coral fragment.
Quartz and feldspar sand grains, some with black inclusions, and solid black basalt grains surround an irregularly shaped centrally located tan and white marine sand grain.
Higher magnification of image above.
Clear quartz along with off-white and tan feldspar and black basalt grains cover the Marina di Campo beach.
Higher magnification of image above. Dark inclusions are present in some quartz and feldspar sand grains.
Clear quartz, tan feldspar, and black basalt dominate this view. Reddish marine grain fragments plus some angular white marine shell fragments are also present. Black inclusions are present in some quartz and feldspar sand grains.
La Foce Beach
Light tan and white sand covers the La Foce campground beach.
La Foce beach overlooks the crystal clear water at the end of the Marina di Campo bay.
Rough-edged white and light tan feldspar grains and occasional clear quartz populate this sample. Some grains contain small black inclusions. The warn white grain at the bottom center is a marine fragment showing evidence of predation. Darker grains are basalt.
This view shows variably sized quartz and feldspar sand grains, some with irregular black amphibole inclusions. The elongated black rod at the top center is a hornblende (amphibole) crystal. It is partly covered by two silica grains one of which contains a small rod-shaped horneblende crystal.
The igneous tan sand grain in the center contains needle-shaped phenocrysts of black horneblende (amphibole). The surrounding clear and cloudy grains are silica and feldspar. A cloudy silica grain at the top of the image contains a triangular horneblende phenocryst.
The 2 mm black horneblende (amphibole) crystal in the center is surrounded by clear and cloudy quartz grains with a few white and reddish-tan opaque biogenic sand grains. A large feldspar sand grain to the right of the large horneblende crystal contains two black horneblende inclusions.
Fonza Beach
Beach sand from Fonza beach formed from crumbling and smoothing of granite rock.
Beach sand on the shore is gray and beige with pebbles and larger smooth and flat stones.
Large and small geological sand grains with occasional white and off-white partially translucent quartz grains dominate this sample. A white grain with an irregular surface in the upper center of this view is likely a marine fragment. A variegated gray and white grain in the center is likely a metamorphic sand grain.
Higher magnification of image above showing the wide spectrum of color of the sand grains. A downward pointed tip of a light tan gastropod shell with white spiral indentations is nestled among large sand grains at the lower left of this view.
This sand consists of small, medium and large smooth-surfaced geological sand grains with occasional opaque white quartz grains and rare grains of marine origin. The largest grains have been worn smooth.
A brown marine shell fragment is present in the center of this image. The large gray, black and tan sand grain to the left of the brown shell fragment is porphyritic basalt displaying phenocrysts. Some clear and cloudy quartz grains are present along with a variety of other metamorphic and igneous sand grains.
A mixed variety of geological sand grains is present in this low magnification view with a tan and white mollusk shell fragment present at the bottom middle.
A square white marine fragment is at the left of a centrally located grooved reddish-brown marine sand grain. A glistening gray-white biogenic fragment is at the lower right of the reddish-brown marine sand grain. The remaining light and darker grains are geological sand grains.
The tan and white conical mollusk shell at the center left and a purple grooved piece of sea urchin spine at the center right represent the most prominent biogenic sand grains in this view. Most of the remaining sand grains are of igneous and metamorphic origin.
Laconella Beach
Fine grained white and light tan sand covers the small Laconella Beach.
Laconella Beach is lined by Punta Contessa cliffs that extend up to the sea.
Large and small sharp-edged grains of clear and cloudy quartz and tan feldspar are present along with a few black grains of basalt.
Mixed sizes of rough-edged quartz and felspar grains, some with black inclusions, dominate this sample. A fan-shaped off-white shell fragment with linear radial white bands is present in the center just above a tan marine fragment.
This view shows variable sized clear quartz, yellow-tan feldspar sand and some black basalt grains.
Higher magnification of image above.
A large off-white smooth-edged marine shell fragment is present in the center along with a smaller tan marine shell fragment with a dark band to the left of center. Rough edged clear quartz and tan feldspar grains plus small black basalt grains are also present in this sample.