LaPush Beach consists of geological sand grains featuring clear, cloudy and colored quartz grains along with black basaltic sand grains.
Geographic Overview
Located on the western edge of the Olympic Peninsula near the mouth of the Quillayute River at the western edge of Washington State, LaPush is known for whale-watching, surf-worthy waves, and its natural environment. The village of LaPush is part of the Sovereign Nation of the Quileute Tribe that fosters a slower and relaxed way of life. A rising sea level associated with changing climate and associated tsunamis and flooding has led to a managed retreat to higher grounds starting in 2017.
Sand Location
See where this sand sample was collected on Google Maps.
Virtual Sand Tour
Explore an interactive map of LaPush Beach on Google Earth.
Sand Gallery
This mixture of semitransparent and gray cloudy grains of geologic origin consists of some smooth edged along with sharper edged quartz grains. Grains with 90-degree edges are likely feldspar and black grains are basalt and mixed porphyritic igneous rock. Some of the gray and cloudy grains contain black inclusions. Two small pink grains in this sample are rose quartz.
This high magnification shows a spectrum of small clear and opaque quartz sand grains and occasional yellowish-tan and cloudy feldspar and black basalt grains. A large mottled black and dark gray metamorphic rock grain is present at the upper right of this image.
This intermediate magnification consists of a mixed variety of volcanic sand grains including clear and translucent quartz with occasional reddish and greenish quartz grains. Off-white and light tan grains, some 90-degree edges, are feldspar while black grains are primarily basalt.
In this higher magnification of 3517 the angular but semi-smooth-edged mixture of clear and translucent grains along with occasional reddish and green grains represent a spectrum of quartz grains. Occasional feldspar tan grains with 90-degree edges are present along with black basaltic sand grains.
This low magnification of moderately smooth but angular geological sand grains includes clear, semitransparent, and occasional tan and greenish quartz grains along with black grains of basaltic rock.