VIRGINIA BEACH — Patches of dull, grayish-black sand cover the beach near the water’s edge at 23rd Street. The dark sections stand out in contrast to the bright tan grains closer to the Boardwalk.

Stacy Parker | The Virginian-Pilot During the leveling process over the past couple of weeks, some of the gray sand was mixed with lighter colored sand that was already on the beach, according to ...

The Sausalito-based Marine Mammal Center is probing the death of a female gray whale that washed up on Black Sands Beach in the Marin Headlands. The decomposing 36-foot whale carcass was the first ...