The “seven-coloured earth” of Chamarel is a geological curiosity and one of the major tourist attractions in Mauritius, a small African island country in the Indian Ocean that has a growing tourism industry.
The seven-coloured earth is a small (∼7500 m2) site in the Black River district of southwestern Mauritius.
The colours evolved through conversion of basaltic lava to clay minerals.
It is a relatively small area of sand dunes comprising sand of seven distinct colours (approximately red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple, and yellow).
Though in the heart of a large, dense forest, it is strikingly devoid of any vegetation.
The site is on private land and attracts a fee of about 75 Mauritian rupees per person as of June 2008 to see the earth as well as the beautiful Chamarel waterfall on the same premises.
Due to the tropical weather conditions, all water-soluble elements such as silicon dioxide have been washed out.
The remains are the reddish-black iron- and aluminium oxides which create shades in blue, cyan, and purple. The various colors developed due to the different compositions.
What is more fascinating is the fact that if you mix the colored earth together, they’ll eventually settle into separate layers.
If you take a handful of each of the seven different colours of dirt and mix them together, they’d eventually separate into a colourful spectrum, each dot of sand rejoining its colour caste.
Since the earth was first exposed, rains had carved beautiful patterns into the hillside, creating an effect of earthen meringue.
At first, you’ll notice shadows on the hills, creating the illusion of different colours, but soon you realise that the colours are real and the shadows were the illusion.
Sunrise is the best time to see the Coloured Earths. Geologists are still intrigued by the rolling dunes of multi-coloured lunar-like landscape.
The colours, red, brown, violet, green, blue, purple, and yellow never erode in spite of torrential downpours and adverse climatic conditions.
The Coloured Earth of Chamarel has become one of Mauritius’ main tourist attractions since the 1960s.
Nowadays, the dunes are protected by a wooden fence, and visitors are not allowed to climb on them, although they can look at the scenery from observation outposts placed along the fence.
Curio shops in the area sell small test-tubes filled up with the coloured earths.
On the premises, you will also find a children’s playground, a waterfall close by, and wildlife can be seen in the area.
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