Decoding how sand grains move and accumulate on Earth can also help scientists understand dune formation on Mars.
sand
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Elementary, My Dear: Al & Be Give Evidence of Past Climate Change
10Be and 26Al concentrations in river sand reveal an increase in erosion rate in the Brazilian Highlands consistent with the Mid-Pleistocene Transition, a major climatic shift that occurred about 1 million years ago.
Posted inNews
Sand’s Role in Rerouting Meandering Rivers Is Bigger Than We Thought
Researchers delve into the dirt causing rivers to migrate.
Posted inNews
Sandy Fingerprints Trace Supply Sources
Geological forensics can trace raw materials back to their source. As global sand demand increases, a new tool could help identify illegal and informal sand mining.
Posted inNews
Fire Histories May Be Written on Grains of Sand
Tiny bits of quartz record the intensity of fires from hundreds or even thousands of years ago, potentially offering new ways to study historic fires and how heat affects soil.
Posted inNews
Arenas de aguas profundas y dónde encontrarlas
Antiguas avalanchas submarinas llevaron arena al abismo oceánico en el momento en que algunos menos lo esperaban.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
An interesting erosive event in the Socavón Cochoa area of Viña del Mar, Chile
Dramatic erosion of a sand dune in Viña del Mar, Chile appears to be related to maintenance of a drainage pipe.
Posted inScience Updates
The Nitty-Gritty Forces That Shape Planetary Surfaces
Scientists are coming up with ingenious ways to compare terrestrial sand dunes, dust storms, and rain with their counterparts on Mars and Titan.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Dust in the (Martian) Wind
The InSight Lander, on Mars, intentionally dumped sand over its seismic instrument’s tether and the wind sorted the particles by size as it blew them away.
Posted inNews
Deep-Sea Sand and Where to Find It
Ancient underwater avalanches carried sand into the ocean’s abyss during a time when some least expected it.