The Nitty-Gritty

Y ou can find sand at the edge of lakes, the bottoms of rivers, and the
seashore. You can find it in mountain valleys, deserts, and, of course, a
sandbox. Where does all this sand come from?
Sand is created when rocks break into tiny, tiny pieces. Wind, ice, and
rain knock against high mountain cliffs. And slowly, over millions of years,
these forces break off pieces of rock. The pieces bounce down the
mountainside and break off other pieces of rock—while it’s also breaking
into smaller and smaller pieces itself. It isn’t sand yet, but it’s getting there.
Rivers and glaciers are also good at making sand. A river’s water
rushes along, carrying rocks with it and breaking them into little pieces.
The ice of a glacier grinds away at whatever rocks it slowly rolls across.
Another great sand maker is the ocean. Every day, all over the world,
tides rise and fall, pushing against rocks over and over. Waves tear at the
rocks along the shore, wearing them down.
Thanks to the weather, water, and ice, some of these broken rocks
finally get so small that they become what we call “sand.”
Now that you have all this sand, what can you do with it? Sand is used
for paving roads. Bricks made with sand are harder and stronger than other
bricks. Sand is also used to filter (or clean) water. When it’s sprayed with
great force against stone or brick, it can grind away thick layers of dirt or
even paint in a process called “sandblasting.”
And, of course, sand is great for building sand castles!

LEARN MORE! READ THESE ARTICLES…

 RCH LI ALGERIA (VOLUME 8) • DESERTS (VOLUME 1) • OCEANS (VOLUME 1)
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Mounds or ridges of sand like these are called

“sand dunes.” They’re caused by the combined
action of wind and gravity.
© Dave G. Houser/Corbis

True or
false?
Sand can be
used to clean
buildings.

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