Sea and sand

Sand Monster by Clark Little

Above is an amazing photograph of sand being pulled up by a wave. It was taken by Clark Little, a Hawaiian photographer who specializes in photographing waves. You should click on it to get a larger view for full effect. It is only one of many remarkable pictures he has taken. You can see more at the gallery at his site.

We understand that shorelines are dynamic places, shaped by both waves and tide. However, where the sand comes from, and the complexities of how it is moved over time to shape beaches is something most of us rarely think about, if we think about it at all.

The below 1965 documentary film The River of Sand, which I think I remember seeing in school when I was but a sprout, gives a good overview of how sand is moved from river mouths and along shorelines. As an aside, it is interesting how straight forward and dense with information it is compared to modern documentaries.