Shell Beach is a beach in the

Shark Bay Shark Bay () is a World Heritage Site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia. The area is located approximately north of Perth, on the westernmost point of the Australian continent. UNESCO's listing of Shark Bay as a World Heritage S ...

region of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, located south-east of Denham. Situated on the northeastern side of the

Taillefer Isthmus The Taillefer Isthmus () is an Australian isthmus linking Peron Peninsula to the coast of Western Australia in the Gascoyne, Gascoyne region. Its western coast is formed by Henri Freycinet Harbour, its eastern one by L'Haridon Bight, both bodies ...

along the L'Haridon Bight, the beach is covered with shells for a stretch to a depth of . It is one of only two beaches in the world made entirely from shells. The beach was named Shell Beach because of the great abundance of the shells of the cockle species ''

Fragum erugatum Fragum is a genus of cockles, marine bivalve molluscs in the family Cardiidae. Members of the genus have characteristic thick, sculptured shells and live buried in sand, extending their siphons to the surface to feed and breathe. They are fou ...

''. The

seawater Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximat ...

in the L'Haridon Bight has a high salinity due to both the

geomorphology Geomorphology () is the scientific study of the origin and evolution of topographic and bathymetric features generated by physical, chemical or biological processes operating at or near Earth's surface. Geomorphologists seek to understand wh ...

and local climate of the area. This high salinity has allowed the cockle to proliferate unchecked, since its natural predators have not adapted well to this environment. The shells have formed a

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

that is known as

coquina Coquina () is a sedimentary rock that is composed either wholly or almost entirely of the transported, abraded, and mechanically sorted fragments of mollusks, trilobites, brachiopods, or other invertebrates. The term ''coquina'' comes from the S ...

. Before

became a

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

, the coquina was mined and used for the construction of a number of buildings in Denham.Shire of Shark Bay - What to See and Do
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References

External links

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Additional information

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Centre
Shark Bay, Western Australia
Shark Bay Beaches of Western Australia {{WesternAustralia-geo-stub