Geographic Overview
Ibusuki, a beachside city in southwest Japan, is known for hot springs of the Ibusuki volcanic field. The dark sand is noted for an intense infusion of minerals from volcanic hot springs along the coast. Sand bathing (sima-mushi) in the 50-55 degree Celius sand is claimed as a cure for rheumatism, back pain, and a wide variety of other ailments. The Ibusuki volcanic field is an area of current volcanic and geothermal activity at the tip of the Satsuma Peninsula, Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. The volcano is currently dormant.

Sand Location
See where this sand sample was collected on Google Maps.

Virtual Sand Tour
Explore an interactive map of Ibusuki-Yamakawa on Google Earth.
Sand Gallery
A mixture of marine and geological samples comprise this sample with numerous dark basalt rock fragments and a variety of pieces of marine organisms.
A large square-shaped light pink mollusk shell piece is near the center and just left of a red striped mollusk shell fragment. Just left of center a round white foram lies just above a yellow octocoral slerite. Other sand grains include light tan fragments of coralline algae, very small quartz grains, and mottled gray-black basalt sand grains.
This mixture of marine and geological sand grains includes translucent, white and light tan fragments of mollusk shells, coralline algae, and forams along with gray-black pieces of basaltic rock.
A large white mollusk shell fragment partially covers a black basalt sand grain. A green seal urchin spine is present in the lower center adjacent to a light tan shell fragment. Two off-white forams are at the lower left corner of this image and small clear quartz grains are at the lower right edge of this image.
Bits and pieces of geological sand grains (clear quartz and black basaltic rock fragments) and marine sand grains (elongated light tan sclerite, brown conical snail shell and large off-white branching coralline algae fragment) comprise this image.
This mixture of marine and geological sand grains includes large white chunks of bleached coralline algae, mottled brown pieces of bivalve shell fragments, a sea urchin spine and brown snail shell in the center, and two round forams (one touching an elongated octocoral sclerite at 3 o’clock).
A mixture of large and small grains reflect the marine and geological origin of this sand sample.