The sands of time

Nature is beautiful, no doubt, but every single element in nature serves a critical purpose for the survival of this earth and the species that call it home. The link between the components that make an ecosystem is strong but the bond is weak. A minor tweak in the system can cause havoc and even catastrophe.

Just as nature needs its elements and resources to maintain that balance, we humans have found many ways of harnessing and using them for our very survival and everyday life. Some are more prominent than others and are immediately identified to certain industries even by people of different industrial background. Take the minerals and the mining industry; hydrocarbons, valuable stones and metals. Some however, are so common and ever present in our day to day chores that we often do not notice its usefulness. Enter sand.

We see sand everywhere. It follows us home, sticking to our shoes and vehicle tyres. We sweep it under the carpet. We get it in our eyes. We link infertile land and the desert with sand. We also link beautiful beaches and fun sports with sand. It is so abundant that we take it for granted. But can we live without sand, granted that nature has no use for it?

No.

And I bet you already know about these facts I extracted from Wikipedia.

Quote:

“Sand is often a principal component of the aggregate used in the preparation of concrete. Sand manufactured at rock crusher plants for use as an aggregate is called mansand. Graded sand is used as an abrasive in sandblasting and is also used in media filters for filtering water.

Brick manufacturing plants use sand as an additive with a mixture of clay and other materials for manufacturing bricks. Sand is also sometimes mixed with paint to create a textured finish for walls and ceilings or a non-slip surface.

Sandy soils are ideal for certain crops such as watermelons, peaches, and peanuts and are often preferred for intensive dairy farming because of their excellent drainage characteristics.
Sand is used in landscaping (Landscape engineering), it is added to make smeal hills and slopes (eg: Making golf corses).

Sand is the principal component in glass manufacturing.
Sandbags are used for protection against floods and gun fire. They can be easily transported when empty, and filled with local sand.

People, especially children, love to play with sand on a beach or in a sandpit. Sometimes they build sand castles. See sand art and play for details ”

Unquote.


There, like it’s physical property, a grain of sand means nothing to most of us but a pile or a mountain of sand goes a long way. Similarly, a collection of different types of sand and their multiple uses is certainly impressive and it makes us realize that we need sand more than we know. We also need to be wary of the movement of sand around us, naturally or artificially.

The white sand at Miri's esplanade.