Black Sand Article Index for
Black
Website Links For
Black
 

Information About

Black Sand




Black sand is a heavy, glossy, partly Magnetic mixture of usually fine sands, found as part of a Placer Deposit .

Black sands are used by miners and prospectors to indicate the presence of a placer formation. Placer mining activities produce a concentrate that is composed mostly of black sand. Black sand concentrates often contain additional valuables, other than precious metals: Rare Earth elements, Thorium , Titanium , Tungsten , Zirconium and others are often fractionated during Igneous processes into a common mineral-suite that becomes black sands after weathering and erosion.

Several Gemstone s, such as Garnet , Topaz , Ruby , Sapphire , and Diamond are found in placers and in the course of placer mining, and sands of these gems are found in black sands and concentrates. Purple or ruby-colored garnet sand often forms a showy surface dressing on ocean beach placers.


SEE ALSO



EXTERNAL LINKS