Gun Beach sand is comprised of marine sand grains with a high percentage of partially worn light tan Baculogypsina sp. foraminifera species.
Geographic Overview
Guam, on the edge of the Mariana Trench, the deepest trench in the world, has a thriving tourist economy and boasts of beautiful beaches and exotic marine life. Gun Beach on Guam, an unincorporated territory of the United States, is a secluded cove at the far end of Tumon Bay and features the remains of a World War II Japanese artillery gun. Gun Beach shore, known for great snorkeling, has shallow areas protected by a coral quarry with reefs opening into the ocean.
Sand Location
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Virtual Sand Tour
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Sand Gallery
A semitranslucent conical snail fragment in the center is touching a white bryozoan fragment. Several white and off-white coral fragments and tan Baculogypsina forams are present along with a pink piece of coralline algae at the lower left and a dark brown mollusk shell fragment at the lower right.
Numerous tan forams, most likely worn down Baculogypsina sp., are present in this sand accompanied by a white branched segment of bleached coralline algae, a white ribbed mollusk fragment in the center, and a large white mollusk sand grain bearing holes as evidence of predation at the upper right of center.
A gray fragment of sea urchin spine with linear grooves is just to the right of center. White fragments above the sea urchin spine include two bryozoan fragments to the left of a white fan shaped foram. White coral fragments are scattered among the tan Baculogypsina forams, most of which have lost their pointed extensions.
A linear opaque fragment with subtle edge protrusions in the center of this image is likely a partially worn sclerite. It is touched at its upper right by a tan spiral fragment of a mollusk. Red bits of coralline algae (probably Homotrema rubrum) are located in the center and left center. Multiple tan benthic forams (Baculogypsina sp) in addition to translucent shell fragments are also present in this sample.
In this high magnification white bryozoan fragments are present in the center and lower left with the latter bryozoan immediately below the fragment of a fan-shaped foram. A degenerating white foram is present near the upper right edge surrounded by tan Baculogypsina sand grains.
The irregular surface of an elongated light gray sclerite is in the center of this high magnification view just below a brown and white mollusk chard. A translucent mollusk fragment with worn concentric parallel groves is at upper left of center and irregular white fragments of coral are at the left side of this view. Multiple worn dimpled tan Baculokgypsina sp forams are present along with a gray and black degenerative foram.
Remnants of a small white snail shell is above a gray-tan sea urchin spine with visible parallel groves. Irregular white fragments of coral are scattered among light tan Baculogypsina forams, one of which located near the lower left has remnants of its pointed extensions.