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panther10
panther10
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Why are Florida's roads white (Bahamas too)?

What causes the white appearance of tropical roads?

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Posted by panther10 on Thursday November 6, 2008 at 2:28 PM and tagged with chemistry, paving materials, roads, science, solar energy.

Answers:


  1. engtchr5 Teacher
    High School - 10th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    As a native Floridian and sixth-generation descendent of "Florida Crackers," I believe the answer you're looking for is this one:

    Florida is "The Sunshine State," both in name and in nature. Because of its location and its bountiful sunlight year-round, the paving on roads statewide gets "bleached" by the sunlight. In addition, the makeup of our roads is sometimes not your typical asphalt, but rather, a hybrid mixture of concrete, pavement, and tar byproducts. The chemistry involved there also contributes to the "white" appearance of some of our roads.

    I don't know if the answer is the same for the Bahamas or not, but my bet would be that it is, due to the plentiful solar rays and its sometimes-questionable road composure. Hope this helps.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/science/

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    Posted by engtchr5 on Thursday November 6, 2008 at 4:00 PM