Why is there sand on the beach?
Sand is made of teeny tiny bits of rock and shell.
Pip’s answer
- Sand is made of teeny tiny bits of rock and shell.
- Waves crash on rocks again and again, breaking them into smaller pieces. Splash!
- Rivers carry little bits of rock down to the sea, too.
- Ooh, lots of bits of sand were once part of a big rock!
For grown-ups
Sand is made of tiny grains of rock and minerals (often quartz) and pieces of shells and coral. Waves, rivers, wind and ice break rocks into smaller and smaller pieces over very long times. Different beaches have different colors of sand depending on what they're made of.
Ask your child: What colors can you find in a handful of sand?
More questions kids ask
- 🌊Why are there waves in the ocean?
- 🌊Why is the sea salty?
- 🏞️Why do rivers flow?
- 🌤️Why is the sky blue?
- 🌅Why are sunsets orange?
- 🌈Why are there rainbows?
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