The Sand Beneath Your Feet

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This Catalyst article explains how studying sand can reveal both the geological and biological history of a local environment as sand varies from place to place. Sand from near a copper smelter can contain grains of copper; grains can contain worm trails from microscopic worms living in the ocean. Even the grains themselves can contain clues as to where they are from – grains from a desert environment tend to be pitted and pock-marked from where they collide with each other whereas grains from the ocean tend to be worn to a smoother surface.

This article is from Catalyst: GCSE Science Review 2011, Volume 22, Issue 1.

Catalyst is a science magazine for students aged 14-19 years. Annual subscriptions to print copies of the magazine can be purchased from Mindsets.

URL: http://stem.org.uk/rx6oz

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