Sand Under Microscope Looks Like Jewels
My mom sent me that pollination video and I got some great feedback that everyone liked it. So here’s another post via my mom who is nearly 90-years-old! Kudos to her for being active online and sending me great stuff to post! I think she reads my blog too!
Who knew that grains of sand were more unique than patterns of a snowflake? The article she sent me is here. Something to ponder as you lie on the beach!
What is Sand?
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal settings is silica (silicon dioxide, or SiO2), usually in the form of quartz.
The second most common form of sand is calcium carbonate, for example aragonite, which has mostly been created, over the past half billion years, by various forms of life like coral and shellfish. It is, for example, the primary form of sand apparent in areas where reefs have dominated the ecosystem for millions of years, like the Caribbean.
Microscope Photography of Nature
Prof Greenberg, who searches through thousands of tiny rocks with acupuncture needles to find and arrange the most perfect specimens, then uses a painstaking technique to create his images.
He has spent five years searching the globe for remarkable sand grains like these to photograph. from Daily Mail
Deep Look: The Amazing Life of Sand
Books for Kids and Adults on Wondrous Sand
A Grain of Sand: Nature’s Secret Wonder by Gary Greenberg
This is his book. I’d get it for the coffee table!
“To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower. To hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour.”
William Blake, “Auguries of Innocence” 1805
Here is the world viewed within a grain of sand, thanks to the stunning three-dimensional microphotography of Dr. Gary Greenberg. To some, all sand looks alike–countless grains in a vast expanse of beach. Look closer–much closer–and your view of sand will never be the same. Employing the fantastic microphotographic techniques that he developed, Greenberg invites readers to discover the strange and wonderful world that each grain of sand contains.
Here are the sands of Hawaii and Tahiti, the Sahara and the Poles, a volcano, each exquisitely different, and each telling a fascinating geological story. Red sand and yellow, white sand and black, singing sand and quicksand: Greenberg’s pictures reveal the subtle differences in their colors, textures, sizes, and shapes. And as this infinitesimal world unfolds so does an intriguing explanation of how each grain of sand begins and forms and finds itself in a particular place, one of a billion and one of a kind.
And the images might conjure up interest in your child. If so, this might be a good book to hunt down at the library…
Jump Into Science: Sand by Ellen J. Prager
What is sand? How is it formed? Where does sand come from? How does it get to the beach? Why is it different colors? Let the sandpiper sleuth show you the answers to these questions in this lively, collage-style look at a familiar substance that’s never been so fascinating: sand.
Parents’ Choice Approved Winner
“A striking success…an outstanding choice…a fascinating, lively presentation.” —School Library Journal
Or an interest in seeing things under a microscope …
My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope, $63.
Follow PragmaticMom’s board Science Fun on Pinterest.
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My books:
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Amazon / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Food for the Future: Sustainable Farms Around the World
- Junior Library Guild Gold selection
- Massachusetts Book Award Long List
- Selected as one of 100 Outstanding Picture Books of 2023 by dPICTUS and featured at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair
- Starred review from School Library Journal
- Chicago Library’s Best of the Best
- 2023 INDIES Book of the Year Awards Finalist
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Amazon / Barefoot Books / Signed or Inscribed by Me
Amazon / Scholastic / Signed or Inscribed by Me
These are completely the coolest things ever. In fact, I pinned to my “coolest Things Ever” board. This reminds me that I need to buy a new microscope, too. Ours is junk and there are plenty of tiny, fun things that need to be looked at around here.
I definitely want to get a microscope for my kids! These grains for sand are so cool! Great find Pragmatic Mom’s mom!
nice share! another food for thought! love grains of sand too!
Hi Prewcahhterly,
I”m so glad you liked it!
Love this – we have an old microscope from the old Newton North – the kind with the mirror – love to use it.
Hi CapabilityMom,
I didn’t realize how many grains of sand he searched to get these gems! But having access to a powerful microscope is a great asset!
Wow–these are beautiful! I always wondered what sand was made of.
Hi Asian Mommy,
Those sand grains are amazing. I had no idea either!
Love, love, love! TY!
Hi Marnie,
It’s amazing that sand can look like jewels! Who knew?!