The Formation of Grains of Sand

On the basis of the results recorded in this review, it can be claimed that the average sand grain has taken many hundreds of millions of years to lose 10 per cent. of its weight by abrasion and become subangular. It is a platitude to point to the slowness of geological processes. But much depends on the way things are put. For it can also be said that a sand grain travelling on the bottom of a river loses 10 million molecules each time it rolls over on its side and that representation impresses us with the high rate of this loss. The properties of quartz have led to the concentration of its grains on the continents, where they could now form a layer averaging several hundred metres thick. But to my mind the most astounding numerical estimate that follows from the present evaluations, is that during each and every second of the incredibly long geological past the number of quartz grains on earth has increased by 1,000 million.

Notes:

Miraculous in numbers.

Folksonomies: wonder numbers

Taxonomies:
/food and drink/food/grains and pasta (0.500877)
/shopping/gifts (0.122293)
/science/geology (0.117454)

Keywords:
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Entities:
hundred metres:Quantity (0.010000 (neutral:0.000000))

Sand-its Origin, Transportation, Abrasion and Accumulation

Books, Brochures, and Chapters>Book: Kuenen, Phillip H. (1956), Sand-its Origin, Transportation, Abrasion and Accumulation, The Geological Society of South Africa, Retrieved on 2012-06-08

Source Material [books.google.com]

Schemas

01 JAN 2010

The Wonder is All Around You

Memes from scientists about the beauty and wonder all around us.

Folksonomies: enlightenment science manifesto wonder