A small region of about 7500 sq. metres near the village of Chamarel, Mauritius has a geological oddity of earth of seven colours - red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple and yellow. Reportedly this is the only location in the World where one can see earth of 7 different colours at one place.
A signboard at the site gives following explanation for this colourful oddity;
"This natural phenomenon is due to decomposed basalt gullies. The hot and humid climate helps in the decomposition of the basalt into clay. As a result of total hydrolysis (chemical break- down of minerals by water), the soluble elements such as silicic acid and cations are washed, leaving a large composition of iron and aluminium which constitute a ferralitic soil. The iron sesquioxides (Fe2O3) have a red and anthracite colour, whereas the aluminium sesquioxides (Al2O3) have a blue or purplish colour." (Source: Flickr Image)
The coloured earth also has a strange property of settling into its individual colour group even if it is mixed with other colours. When earth of different colours is mixed, a few hours later, the sandy particles re-group and settle into layers of individual colours. (Source: French Wikipedia - English Translation). Several web pages also mention it. However, I couldn't find any scientific explanation for this strange phenomenon.
Located amidst a large dense forest, the colourful earth against the backdrop of green trees is a major tourist attraction of Mauritius. In order to preserve the dunes and protect it from tourist influence, the site, which is privately owned, has been barricaded and tourists are allowed to view it from a platform constructed at the area.
Image from Flickr is by llee_wu
Image from Flickr is by erwinkarim
Image from Flickr is by Andy Cardiff
Image from Flickr is by ian 1602
Image from Flickr is by marmaille
Mauritius' highest waterfall with a sheer vertical drop of about 100 metres, is also located in close vicinity of the coloured-earth.
Image from Flickr is by hey mr glen
View location in Google Earth / Google Maps
Main source of info: chamarel.info and French Wikipedia (English Translation)
Detailed info: Scientific paper entitled - The "seven-coloured earth" of Chamarel, Mauritius (pdf format) published in 'Journal of African Earth Sciences'.
this is awesome and further fuels my desire to visit this beautiful land know as Mauritius!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child we often went to the coloured earth of Chamarel and with my kid's eyes the place seemed huge!!! We went back some years later with some friends and I realized that it wasn't actually as big as I had memorized it! It was still a very nice visit though!
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