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Where does the sand on the beach come from?
Where does the sand on the beach come from?
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Every grain of sand has a story attached to it. Sand may come from various locations, sources, or environments. It is not easier for people to recognize what type of sand it is. Sand is formed from the weathering of rocks. The breaking down of rocks, while they are in contact with water, atmospheric gases, or biological organisms, is called weathering of rocks. Weathering is basically divided into two types- physical weathering and chemical weathering.
Physical weathering comprises of the breakdown of rocks by some means of mechanical effects of heat, water, or other agents. While chemical weathering involves the breakdown of rocks using chemical reactions that may take place with water, atmospheric gases, or any biologically produced chemicals.
For thousands and millions of years, rocks follow this process of weathering. They take time to decompose, especially quartz and feldspar. Rocks take many years to reach a water body. Starting thousands of miles away from the oceans, or beaches, they slowly travel down rivers and streams, continually breaking down along their way. Once they make it to the beach area, they are in constant touch with the water that flows near them. They further break down into even smaller pieces from the continual action of waves and tides.
The big rocks that reach the beach area are broken down into many smaller pieces which are called mud. The silt and clay particles are too small to be seen by the naked eyes. The broken pieces of the rocks that are somewhat bigger in size and can be held in our hands are called sand. The rocks break down into bigger bits and that is called sand. When the sand is there on the ground, it all seems to be of one color but if we hold it in our hands, we get to see the actual blend of different colors that are mixed together.
