Identification

• Sand can be made up of any rock or mineral particle that is between one-four hundredth of an inch and one-twelfth of an inch in size. By definition, sand is larger than silt or clay particles and smaller than pebbles. Sand forms by means of weathering such as when waves hit against rocks or when ice forms in fissures within rocks. Two other ways that sand forms is through chemical interactions and the fossilization of plankton.
  
  

Features

• The most common mineral found as sand is quartz. This is a compound of silica and oxygen. Its scientific symbol is SiO2. When sand is pure quartz, it is called silica, which has many specific industrial uses including glass making, metal work, building products, computer products and paint.
  
  

Function

• There are other very common industrial uses for sand. Concrete is another product that is made using sand mixed with cement and water. Interestingly, a mixture of water and sand pumped into rocks can expand fissures so that natural gas and oil drilling will be possible.
  
  

Benefits

• Sand also has recreational uses. While many beaches have sand that occurs naturally, when hurricanes or other storms erode the sand away from the beaches, replacing the sand becomes an expensive proposition. The erosion of sand on Waikiki Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, is the No. 1 problem threatening the Hawaii tourism industry in 2009. Sand volleyball courts, sand boxes and artificial beaches at elaborate swimming pools all rely on sand to increase the enjoyment of their users and visitors.
  
  

Potential

• Whenever a flood threatens a town, volunteers mass at the riverside to fill and pile up sandbag barricades. Each sandbag weighs about 30 pounds but when walls are made from them, the river usually is held back for long enough for the crest to pass by. Recently, architects have begun to design houses using sandbags instead of bricks or cement blocks. This decreases the cost of the house without sacrificing either its strength or durability. Sandbag houses are helping to solve the housing crisis in areas of the developing world since the materials needed are often locally available.