Sand

Unconsolidated granular material consisting of mineral, rock, or biological fragments between 63 micrometers and 2 millimeters in diameter, usually produced primarily by the chemical or mechanical breakdown of older source rocks, but may also be formed by the direct chemical precipitation of mineral grains or by biological processes. Sand is small particles of mineral matter, usually quartz. The purest quartz sands are white in colour and used for making glass. Other sands may be various colours dependant upon the minerals they contain.

Related terms:

• bituminous sand
• tight sand
• fine sand
• asphaltic sand
• salt-and-pepper sand
• sharp sand
• nonwetting sand
• blanket sand
• sand pipe
• sounding sand