Blog - Through the sandglass

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Building New York - the Long Island Sandminers

You’re standing by the side of the road when a dump truck hauls into view, one of the big ones, filled with sand. It’s closely followed by another, and another,...

February 1, 2009 5 min read

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Drawing lines in the sand - the art of Jim Denevan

Anyone who builds a sandcastle, or doodles on the beach, feels the impermanence of such creations. It’s one of sand’s many qualities - for a material that lends...

February 1, 2009 4 min read

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From Bogart to Bugs - the Angle of Repose

I try to make a point of watching all movies that feature sand in a significant role (probably the subject of a future post), and my 88-year-old father-in-law w...

February 1, 2009 6 min read

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 coastal history photography rivers_water sand science travel

February 2009

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

February 1, 2009 4 min read

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Clogged Arteries - natural and unnatural rivers

Rivers are vital but also complex and dynamic systems - vital for the planet and vital for us. Civilization has always had an intimate relationship with rivers....

March 1, 2009 6 min read

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Invading dunes

Dunes move - it’s what they do, it’s what makes them dunes as opposed to lifeless piles of sand; and nothing will stand in their way. The images above are of du...

March 1, 2009 5 min read

art coastal geology geomorphology history photography rivers_water sand science travel

On the sands of time - the footprints of Ileret

I know that much has been written on this elsewhere over the last few days, but this blog is about the stories that sand can tell us - how could I possibly omit...

March 1, 2009 3 min read

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Rivers again - sandbags in the Red River Valley

Last Sunday was World Water Day, highlighting the global issues associated with this precious resource. But one of those issues is, as with all natural resource...

March 1, 2009 3 min read

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Rugby: England 34, France 10

Right, a new category for this blog - sport. I tend, not surprisingly, to collect images that use sand in any way, and the picture above comes from an advertisi...

March 1, 2009 4 min read