SplendidSands
Exploring the Science and Beauty of Sand
AN INTRODUCTION TO SAND COMPONENTS
Under Construction
Marine organisms and mineral components destined to become sand. Dog Beach, Hollywood, Florida.
Sand, the gritty stuff of river, lake and ocean beaches! It is also an essential component for concrete, abrasive products, paint, filtration, pigments, glass and on and on, and it is everywhere. Around the world, sand composition reflects the regional geology and aquatic ecosystem. The individual grains hold a story of parent rock, geologic processes and aquatic creatures.
Shape
Sand grains vary in shape from angular to rounded. The rounder the grains, the longer those grains have been free of their parent bedrock—cascading down rivers, rolling in the surf or blowing around in the desert. Shells and other animal pieces go through the same “angular to rounded” process.
Angular fragments of gastropods, bivalves, sea urchins and other marine organisms.
BG-66-Paleochora-Crete_Greece-2016-07-19 16-22-56.jpg
Angular fragments of gastropods, bivalves, sea urchins and other marine organisms.
Búðir,Snæfellsbær, Iceland
Angular fragments of gastropods, bivalves, sea urchins and other marine organisms.
LPK-1513-Ustaoset_Norway-2018-01-27 17-06-13.jpg
Well-rounded animal and mineral grains tumbled and polished in a high-energy coastal environment.
Angular fragments of gastropods, bivalves, sea urchins and other marine organisms.
LPK-1735-MutlumuviRiver-KruegerNP_SouthAfrica-2019-03-06 19-45-56.jpg
DSM-7900-TriopetraBch-AgiosPavlos-Crete_Greece-2018-03-23 18-55-29.jpg
Angular fragments of gastropods, bivalves, sea urchins and other marine organisms.
DO-Volendaar_Holland-2019-02-14 19-39-17.jpg
Well-rounded animal and mineral grains tumbled and polished in a high-energy coastal environment.
Angular fragments of gastropods, bivalves, sea urchins and other marine organisms.
AVB-56Balchi-ColLake-Naberejoye-Crimea_Russia-56-2017-02-14 20-40-30.jpg
KG-401aa-OcracokeIs-CHNS_NC2016-01-21 20-53-11.jpg
Minerals in Sand
Quartz is the most common grain in sand around the world. Why so much quart sand? Quartz is one of the primary components of granite, a rock comprised primarily of quartz, feldspar and mica. Granite makes up the bedrock of the major continents and ancient mountains.
When granite breaks down, it is quartz that endures the longest because of its hardness and resistance to physical and chemical weathering. Feldspar grains are also common in sand; look for grains with near 90° corners.
Iron stained quartz.
Minnehaha Falls, Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Iron stained quartz.
East Alligator River, Arnham Land, Northern Territories, Australia
A granite derived sand with clear quartz, reddish feldspar and other rocks and minerals.
Old Woman Bay, Lake Superior PP, Ontario, Canada
Iron stained quartz.
Merzouga Dunes, Morroco
Clear quartz and feldspar with some iron stained quartz.
Lagos Bar Beach, Lagos, Nigeria
Quartz with assorted rocks and minerals.
Seahawk Beach, Duck, North Carolina
Iron stained shells and clear quartz.
Osmond Beach, Volusia, Florida
Done for now!
Angular sand with clear quartz, reddish feldspar and other rocks and minerals.
Otter Cove, Mt. Desert Island, Maine