Comments on: Time for a Sand Safari

By: Carly Donahue

Carly Donahue — Sun, 25 Oct 2015 15:04:06 +0000

I started a sand collection thanks to Phil (I am the girl in the purple shirt in his picture), and now I have sand from all over the world (Japan, Mongolia, Switzerland, Alaska). But I am not as organized as Phil is. When I go somewhere, I forget to bring a bag and a pen. Now I continually find sand stuck into plastic grocery bags and old water bottles, and I have no clue where they came from! Be prepared, Sand Collectors!

Obviously, I think it is a good idea, or else I wouldn’t have sandy surprises everywhere.

By: Michael Herron

Michael Herron — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 13:06:52 +0000

It sounds like a simple and interesting way to study the area you might be in. I have been fascinated to see how the prevalence of quartz in sand increases as we go north along the Florida gulf coast. By the time we get to Fort Pickens it is essentially all quartz. It squeaks when you walk on it, and it settles almost instantly despite large wave action.

I took a course in automated image analysis some years ago and classifying sand grains was a nice example of the power of imaging methods.

This would make a great roadside geology book.

By: NMarzian

NMarzian — Wed, 27 May 2015 10:29:29 +0000

Phil, if I lived somewhere close to your place, I would certainly want to participate. The idea of travelling around the globe to collect and analyse sand, enjoying being out in the nature AND learning new things, sounds great, too.

By: runningtherace47

runningtherace47 — Fri, 22 May 2015 16:52:47 +0000

well I don’t know if I qualify since I a) interned with you and b) have an advanced degree in geology/space science, but I’m always up for new adventures and opportunities to learn! so yes, I would be interested. Plus it’s a good excuse to travel to FL.

By: David Van Ee

David Van Ee — Fri, 15 May 2015 12:40:08 +0000

I would love to do this with my kids when they are old enough to appreciate it, which would be several years from now. I might suggest having a microscope along and possibly also samples from around the world for comparison.

By: Joshua Colwell

Joshua Colwell — Tue, 12 May 2015 06:42:51 +0000

Cool idea. I think a limited number of people is a good idea for the first outing, though that may happen naturally with the first outing anyway.

By: Phil Metzger

Phil Metzger — Mon, 11 May 2015 21:53:47 +0000

Thanks everybody for the feedback so far!

Jeannette — I think I would structure it in a way that most of the activities require no hiking, but I would hold the event at a beach where there are some excellent hikes for those who want to do so.

Chad, thanks for the tip. I actually do have some sand from Puerto Rica. Some friends from our kids’ school are from Puerto Rico have brought some back for me, but I don’t have the sea glass you’re describing. It sounds very cool!

whittamore — thanks for the offer! I never turn down sand but please don’t go out of the way for me. The most fun I have with sand collecting is going out in nature to collect it, so I’ve tried to scale back the sample trading that I used to do. But as I said, I never turn it down!

By: Sangeeta

Sangeeta — Mon, 11 May 2015 20:58:25 +0000

Very exciting!

By: whittamore

whittamore — Mon, 11 May 2015 14:16:47 +0000

Sounds like a great day out. My son and I would love to come along. We’ll be visiting beaches in MD and NJ this summer. If you want us to bring any samples back let me know.

By: jeffrey medis

jeffrey medis — Mon, 11 May 2015 13:36:04 +0000

yes, please.