Chamarel beautiful Seven-Color Earths

Chamarel beautiful Seven-Color Earths

French Terres des Sept Couleurs, known as Seven-colored sand, is a formation and a famous tourist attraction located in the south-west of Mauritius, near the village of Chamarel. Occupied by sand dunes, this small area consists of sand of seven different colors (red, brown, purple, green, blue, purple and yellow). Noteworthy, the sands of these colors randomly located in different layers, and dunes, painted in different colors, seem surreal. Meanwhile, this phenomenon is also on a small scale. For instance, if you mix two handfuls of different shades, eventually they will still be divided according to the color spectrum. Also noteworthy that the dunes are not subject to erosion despite the torrential tropical rains of Mauritius.

The sands formed from basalt (effusive rock) into clay, which then turned into ferralite soil due to complete hydrolysis. Aluminum and iron, the two main components, give the blue-purplish and red-black color, respectively. According to researchers, the difference in shades is a consequence of the cooling of molten volcanic rocks at different external temperatures. However, it is still not clear why they did not mix.

Beautiful Seven-Color Earths in the south-west of Mauritius, near the village of Chamarel

Meanwhile, the place became a tourist attraction in the 1960s. The territory belongs to the company Bel Ombre Sugar Estate, engaged in the cultivation of sugar cane. The company, in particular, organizes excursions to this landmark for a small fee. To preserve the unique place from damaging, currently fenced with a wooden hedge, the visitors can’t walk in the dunes. Nevertheless, it is still a paradise for photographers from all over the world.