Sand In the Most Uncomfortable...

Q: Oh wise and all-knowing 100-Hour Board,

OK here is one for you to research for me... So we were driving down the shore today and I want to know why as soon as you hit the shore areas.... there is sand everywhere.. even when it is far from the beach/ocean. How does it get there? Is sand actually a type of soil? If it can travel as far as the "outer shore areas" why is it not everywhere? Did this make sense?

Regards,
"I think I'm spending too much time in the sun" Nikki

A: Dear "Down at the Shore"
I've noticed the proliferation of sand in odd places for quite a long time. For example, why do you find sand in bed when it's been months since you've last been? Or even years? And it scratches your legs while you sleep! Well, I did do some research and am ready to dive into this sandstorm for you.

First, the source of sand. Sand is really just granules of rock in small sizes (specifically 1/16mm to 2mm). A little smaller it is called silt, a little larger, gravel. It can be made of a wide variety of rocks, gypsum, quartz, limestone, etc. That's why you get black, white, red and other colored beaches. (My favorite is the black sand beach in Hawaii - although it isn't super safe to swim there - plus very sharp volcanic rocks). In the case of the Shore (i.e the NJ beach, home of salt water taffy, inspiration for Jaws - true story, and very hairy, fat men holding pepper and sausage sandwhiches) the sand is leftovers from glaciers.

A little background. During the Cretaceus period (145 to 65 Million Years Ago) glaciers cut across New Jersey, giving us a wide variety of beautiful features (think of the highlands, gorges, lakes, etc.). At the end of the glaciers (physically) near the shore area of the state, and at the end of the glaciers (they melted) there was a large deposition of sand. Leftovers from sedimentary rock. They call this till - glacial sediment - a wide mix of deposits to include clay, gravel, sand, etc. (Interestingly enough a really sticky form of clay is called gumbo - it's always about food!)

Geologically, in New Jersey, from Freehold south, across to Salem and to the coast is the Outer Coastal Plain. It is the youngest part of NJ - only about 65 to 1.8 million years old (part of the current geological age). And it is sediment - gravel and sand - that goes all the way to the Continental Shelf, some 200 miles off shore. It gets a little more complicated than that, but basically it is part of the landscape - soil. And for that question - soil is a complicated, little understood mixture of liquids, solids and gases. Sand can be a part of soil - along with organics, rocks, etc. In the case of New Jersey Coastal Plain the soil is typically Entisol (basically simple sand, clay, etc.) and Ultisol generally reddish soil that is pretty good but can be exhausted (and has sand in it).

Now this is all well and good - but I will tell you the real truth - not all this geological mumbo-jumbo. Sand comes from the beach - as we all know. And it gets carried back in land by many things - hence you find it everywhere. Wind blows it, animals drag it. But more often than not it is carried in the shoes of little girls, in every crease of the carseats and in human belly buttons.
Oh, and NJ sand is a money maker. It is used in casting metal (think car engines) and is the main ingredient in glass).
Regards,
"I Bet all that info hurts a little more than that sun-burn" 100 Hour Board