Sand can be made of anything. The word sand is only as description of grain size and not mineralogy. Sand size classification is (smallest to largest)-
Very fine sand->62um to 125um
fine sand- >125um to 250um
medium sand- >250um to 500um
course sand- >500um 1mm
very course sand >1mm to 2mm
You will notice that moving down the size classification (largest to smallest) each size is half the size above it.
2007-06-17 16:27:27
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answer #1
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answered by Professor Kitty 6
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The term sand means a particular size of rock particles, not a composition so sand could be made of pretty much anything. That being said: Most of what we imagine when we say "sand" is made of quartz grains. This makes up sand dunes in the desert. here are beaches that are made up of lots of other materials though. The white sand beaches of Hawaii are made up of shell and coral fragments. The green sand beach (an awesome place to visit by the way) is composed of the mineral olivine. The black sand beaches are composed of volcanic materials that hit the water and shattered,cooling very quickly.
Here is a website about a project that looks at the composition of beaches around the world, but it's got some other neat stuff. Ever heard of "singing sand"?
http://www.ed.uri.edu/homepage/projects/ocean/Sand4.htm
2007-06-17 17:08:50
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answer #2
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answered by Kelli W 3
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Sand is a granular material made up of fine rock particles and small remains of animals and plants. It is a naturally occurring, finely divided rock.
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 bright white sands found in tropical and subtropical coastal areas are mostly eroded limestone and may contain coral and shell fragments.
And there are other sand deposits around the world with specific chemical properties unique to the rock in that area (such as White Sands National Park in New Mexico).
2007-06-17 14:25:05
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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In most cases its made of silicon dioxide (quartz) but there are many types of sand and some sand may include other minerals like feldspar and micas if the conditions of weathering allowed for it.
2007-06-17 14:23:58
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answer #4
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answered by Lady Geologist 7
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Marine sand is mainly Quartz, plus a mixture any kind of grind-ed rocks and minerals.
2007-06-17 14:27:06
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answer #5
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answered by NaughtyBoy 3
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sand is made out of heated glass
2007-06-17 14:24:10
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answer #6
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answered by fd2sd2 1
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crush rock
2007-06-17 14:23:31
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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