Earth is full of natural wonders, from beautiful forests to colorful natural attractions — and our planet's beaches are no exception.
From beaches that boast colorful sand, like Punalu'u Black Sand Beach in Hawaii and Red Sand Beach in the Galápagos Islands, to those that vanish or change shape (India's Chandipur Beach, Croatia's Zlatni Rat Beach), some ocean-side destinations look like they've been lifted from science fiction.
Scroll down to see 16 of the world's most alien-looking beaches.
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Koekohe Beach, New Zealand
Koekohe Beach, located on New Zealand's Otago coast, is characterized by its unusual stone-like formations. In reality, the otherworldly Moeraki Boulders — which could pass for dragon's eggs or alien cocoons — are concretions, or compact masses of mineral matter.
Dating back a whooping 60 million years, the boulders began forming in sea floor sediments. The heaviest ones weigh multiple tons.
Punalu'u Black Sand Beach, Hawaii, United States
Minuscule lava fragments are the reason why Hawaii's Punalu'u Beach has black sand instead of the expected tan variety.
In addition to its dark color, the beach is also known for the turtles (endangered hawksbills and green turtles) who can be found lounging there.
Reynisfjara Beach, Iceland
Vík, Iceland, is famous for two things — its black beach and sinister-looking rock formations.
Like Punalu'u, Vík's Reynisfjara Beach has black sand. The village is also known for the trio of dramatic basalt rock formations (Reynisdrangar) that jut out from the North Atlantic Ocean.
In Icelandic folklore, the three rocks are actually trolls who were frozen in the sunlight after attempting to pull a ship from the sea overnight.
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