Porto Rico is located on an active tetonic platform formed by collision of the North American and Caribbean plates. The island foundation is comprised of a plutonic and volcanic base with limestone formations formed from calcium carbonate shells of microscopic organisms.
Geographic Overview
The Balneario de Carolina is lined by palm and almond trees and is located just outside San Juan. It is government-run beach with a long stretch of white sand coastline that extends for close to two miles. The warm water is aqua-marine and greenish. The beaches are ideal for kite-surfing, wind-surfing, swimming, or relaxing under a palm tree. Balneario de Carolina beach is in the northeast of Puerto Rico in the town of Carolina and is internationally recognized as a premier Puerto Rico destination based on cleanliness, water quality, safety and environmentally sustainability.
Sand Location
See where this sand sample was collected on Google Maps.
Virtual Sand Tour
Explore an interactive map of Playa Balneario de Carolina on Google Earth.
Sand Gallery
Against a background of clear and opaque quartz and black basalt grains, rod-shaped and smoothly rounded tan remains of calcareous algae are present in this crowded sample. A large reddish-brown Homotrema fragment is present in the center and a relatively large oval white and gray shiny gastropod fragment is at upper center of this view.
Tan and off-white rods of coralline algae are present along with tan, light brown, and reddish brown marine sand grains, clear and translucent angular quartz and black basalt grains.
Among the clear and opaque quartz and feldspar grains a large quartz grains in the upper center contains an elongated horneblend inclusion. Miscellaneous tan, brown and reddish marine fragments are also present along with black mineral sand grains.
This sample is a mixture of smooth bits of tan marine fragments and terrestrial sand grains including sharp edged quartz and black basalt. A reddish-brown grain and a brown grain with grooves located to the right of center are mollusk shell fragments.
Among numerous clear and opaque sharp edged quartz grains, a centrally located opaque smoothly rounded sand grain contains a rhomboid black inclusion. Irregularly shaped smooth-edged tan and off-white marine fragments along with short coralline algae rods are present in addition to dark gray and black basalt sand grains.
In addition to rough edged transparent and translucent quartz sand grains, a rough surface grain of red coralline algae is just to the right of center next to an irregular tan fragment of coralline algae and a conical light tan snail shell. Tan and brown round grains of smoothly worn forams are present in this sample as well as a dark brown grooved sea urchin spine fragment to the left of center. A few black basalt sand grains are also present in this sample.