When I was in my village, I saw a few children playing with sand, making different things mixed with water. It seemed as if they were enjoying it, so I asked what they were doing. They said that they were making food using mud.
The special fact about this mud food was that they had used different types of mud ‘which can be found in a garden easily. One type of sand was so soft and silky. Another one was rough and became clay when water was added. And another one was simply a rock, but when they crushed it became a soft silky white powder.
Like these, the world contains different types of sand, with different features which are unique to them. Sand types differ from country to country, region to region and sometimes even rock to rock. The sand acts as a special part of photosynthesis, which is passing minerals of water and sand to the root of the tree.
Every part of the world is covered with sand. The most prolific user of sand is the construction industry where it is almost vital for almost every aspect of a building project. Sand is used in everything from cement and concrete to plastering, roofing, grouting and painting. It’s even used to help protect buildings from flooding when it’s in sandbags. With the information I found, I was amazed by the different types of sand around the world.
What is sand?
Sand is a granular matter composed of finely divided minerals and particles. It has various compositions but mostly they’re divided based on their grain size. The composition of sand varies, depending on the local rock sources and conditions. the most common constituent of inland sand is silica (Silicon dioxide ). Calcium carbonate is the second most common sand in the world. But, sand composed of Calcium sulphates, such as gypsum or selenite is considered a rare sand type in the world. They are found in the White Sand National Park and Salt Plains National Wildlife refuge in the USA.
Rocks erode over a long period, mainly due to water and wind, and their sediments are transported downstream and continue to break apart into smaller pieces until they become fine grains of sand. This can be known as the natural process of making sand.
But now, constructors grind rocks to get sand which is completely unhealthy to the environment. The world has become robotic, to the point it’s so hard to find a place with a natural sand process. As sand plays an important role in the environmental process, we must protect the sources of soil and share the importance of protecting the soil.
With this, I am going to share some types of sand in the world.
Silica sand
Silica sand is a powdery material that includes quartz and minute quantities of coal, clay and other minerals. It is also known as quartz sand and industrial sand and is largely used in several construction applications. The existence of silica sand on metal materials can be the basics of crack breakdown on those metals. Flooring, mortars, cement, roofing shingles, asphalt, and other industrial materials all use silica to improve durability and structural integrity.
Also, it is a primary component in the manufacturing of glass and a very important raw material for standard and special glasses. The chemical purity of silica sand is the central determinant of strength, colour and clarity.
Washed sand
Washed sand can commence as silica sand or any other type of sand and experiences a washing and rinsing procedure after mining. Salt, clay, silt, and other powders and dust are washed out of the general mixture. Washed sand often undergoes additional division and classification into grain sizes or grit sizing. Beautiful white-washed sand, triple washed sand. This product may also be used in concrete. It is excellent sand for fine rendering, plastering, kerb and gutter projects. Also known as ‘grit sand’ or ‘concrete sand’, cleaned sharp sand is more insensitive and has larger particles than other construction sands such as builder’s sand, which consists of finer grains.
Beach sand
Beach sand is more than just minerals from the land. Some sand also comes from the ocean. Shells and other hard pieces from marine organisms wash up on the shore. Pounding waves break them into more miniature, sand-sized pieces. In low areas with coral reefs, this is the main source of beach sand.
Most beach sand is made up of quartz, silicon dioxide, natural glass,. Rocks in rivers and streams erode slowly over time as they are carried to the ocean, where rolling waves and tides shell them into even smaller particles. The finer the sand, the older it is.
Mason sand
Mason sand is fine sand appropriate for use on masonry work, ball courts, infill purposes, sandboxes, and beneath swimming pools. It can also be blended with other sands for horse auditorium applications. Smooth, fine, and clean, Mason Sand is a great way to fill in joints between pavers or mix with mortar.
The most significant dissimilarity between Masonry Sand and Play Sand is how each type of sand is used. Masonry Sand is commonly used to make silky concrete and mortar for brick-laying. It is also used to fill volleyball courts and playgrounds. Play Sand is used almost exclusively in sandboxes.
Manufactured sand
Manufactured Sand is cubical and is fabricated using technology like high carbon steel hit a rock and then rock on rock process which is interchangeable to that of raw process undergoing in river sand information. Modern and imported machines are used to produce Manufactured Sand to ensure the required grading zone for the sand. Due to low contaminants such as clay and dust, the sand helps make better concrete. Moreover, the use of Manufactured Sand reduces construction defects in concrete, such as segregation, bleeding, honeycombing, voids and capillarity.
River sand
Sand is generally composed of rounded particles, and may or may not contain clay or other impurities. It is obtained from the banks and beds of rivers. This type of sand tends to be softer as much as beach sand. The composition of sand varies, depending on the local rock sources and conditions but river sand is made up of silica but it has been made fine due to rolling down.
Sand is a popular soil amendment for both garden beds and containers. But just because you can mix river sand into the soil doesn’t always mean you should. Sand is used to breaking up and reduce the weight of compacted soil. It also improves poor drainage (one of the most common symptoms of soil compaction)
Moulded sand
A mixture of sand and clay suitable for making foundry moulds is known as Moulded sand. There are two main types of sand used for moulding are Green Sand and Dry Sand. Greensand consists of silica sand, clay, water and other additives. Dry Sand is a combination of sand and fast curing sticky material.
When Dry Sand is used, it is often referred to as no-bake mustiness casting or air set sand casting. The sand in its raw or watery state is called Green Sand. The mould prepared with this sand is called Green Sand mould, which is used for small size casting of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
Dry Sand
The Green Sand moulds when baked or dried before pouring the molten metal are called Dry Sand moulds.
Dunes
Dunes provide natural coastal protection against storm surges and high waves and help prevent or reduce coastal flooding and structural damage to properties behind them. Dunes serve an important purpose by protecting inland areas from coastal water intrusion. They can absorb the impact and protect inland areas from high energy storms and act as a resilient barrier to the destructive forces of wind and waves.
The dunes protect plant and animal communities further inland. On sandy shorelines, the presence of a stable dune system provides a natural defence mechanism against the sea. These dunes are inhabited by many living creatures that form a unique and highly adapted ecosystem.
Importance of sand
Sand and gravel are now the most-extracted materials in the world, exceeding fossil fuels and biomass (measured by weight). Sand is a key ingredient for concrete, roads, glass and electronics.
Massive amounts of sand are mined for land reclamation projects, shale gas extraction and beach nourishment programs. As the next generation, we have to protect sand and share the importance of saving sand. As Junior Observer readers, let’s promise ourselves to protect the nature including sand which is a free treasure for us.
Yashodhara Paranagama
9 H
Musaeus College
Colombo 7