geology - Through the sandglass

art books climate_change coastal education geology geomorphology history photography rivers_water sand science travel

Magic Crystals - Tales Zircons Tell

The picture on the left is of our oldest earthly possessions. They are sand grains, but special ones, each an individual crystal of zircon, the silicate of the...

February 1, 2009 8 min read

art education environment geology history photography rivers_water sand travel

Grain-by-Grain (2): the amazing sand bottles of Andrew Clemens

Sand has always provided a medium, a muse, an inspiration in many ways, but the way in which it inspired Andrew Clemens was extraordinary - and unique. Clemens...

January 1, 2009 13 min read

art books climate_change environment geology photography sand science travel

Granular stuff, earthquakes, and power laws - again

Back in November, in my post on the sandglass, I commented that watching avalanches of sand in a sandglass is to witness one of nature’s most fundamental laws i...

January 1, 2009 4 min read

art coastal education environment geology history photography sand science travel

Sediment Budget Busting

Sometimes you have to wonder. And the good tax-paying citizens of Bournemouth are certainly wondering. An article in yesterday’s UK Guardian newspaper highlight...

January 1, 2009 6 min read

art books climate_change coastal education geology geomorphology history photography rivers_water sand science travel

Sand, Earth Systems, and the Importance of Size

Now, back to the subject of this blog, but still following the global theme. In the course of researching and writing the book, I learned a lot and came across...

December 1, 2008 8 min read

art books climate_change education environment geology geomorphology history photography sand science travel

December 2008

Musings and news on the extraordinary stories sand has to tell of our planet and daily lives

December 1, 2008 6 min read

art books coastal education geology history photography sand science travel

Tsunami forensics - sand helping save lives

I was enjoying the cultural splendours of St Petersburg when the devastating tsunami of December 2004 hit. Since the only source of information that CNN news co...

December 1, 2008 6 min read