Sand structures
Created | Updated Jul 9, 2003
Sand structures
Anything having a shape made out of sand.
We can see nature creates her own shapes.
There are sand dunes on the sandy planes like the Sahara or the Rub Al Karib. ( A447789 )
And you can find sandy shores on nearly every river and many ocean and sea coasts. ( A810299 )
Natural shaping
The wind lifts up smaller particles and takes them far away, while the heavy sand grains fall down to the ground in the calm behind the dune. On riverbanks more or less the same happens while water is the transport medium.
Dunes are wind shaped disturbances rolling as slow waves over the sandy plane.
Nature uses a flowing medium to lift and deposit the grains depending on mass and size. This way sorting the materials and creating homogenous soilage areas.
The sand of the sea and ocean shores is very special, hardly to compare with any other. This has to do with the combination of wind and water. The water deposits certain perticle sizes depending on water current direction and availability. The waves structure and stir the top layer into small ridges, about one hand thick. The wind blows off the very small particles and drys the sand quickly shaping it in small dunes.
Use of sandy areas
There are various ways to enjoy these natural sands. One can walk them just observing the force and delicacy nature created. You can ski down the (down wind) slopes of dunes. On large sandy planes sometimes wind-riders or kite-rollers appear ( got to check out these words ).
The only place where nature draws a circle is in sandy (or muddy) places. A single grass straw bending over and just touching the ground draws a perfect circle when moved by the wind!
There are three major kinds of artificial sand constructions.
The professional structure as in road beds artificial sandpits (playground) foundation works, drainage works and dam structures.
The 'artistical' sand structures are mostly statue like and created on popular beaches every season by hired artists.
Then there is the rather random structure. Someone playing with, preferrably slightly moist, sand. The best way to shape the sand is with bare hands. (I can know having used all kinds of tools. I even invented some)
In sandpits roads holes and mountains are available in all sizes depending on when the builders have go to lunch or for a pee. The more advanced sandpit structures reach from side to side using tunnels for the roads to pass. Towers and walls of these castles are often decorated width pebbles twigs and leaves from surrounding gardens. (I do like all living creatures but why, why do cats alway choose my sandpit for their releaf?)
River shore beaches are another good place to find building sand.
Sometimes these are realy great while you can use the water flow to pass your structure. This directly shows you the eroding force of the water. Using large pebbles, small rocks or pieces of wood can reduce this effect sufficiently to build on. Do not use plastics of any kind as these will spoil the nature of the structure.
Then we reach the beach. Altough most people seem to find it a place for a good rest, some can not stay put and have to construct.
First kind of structure will be a hole, if located close enought to the sea and below the flood-line you will reach the beachwater level in a few hands. The observer will notice the water level inside these holes is higher then the sea level at that moment. The fanatic sand builder can dig lots of holes and interconnecting streams to create an estruary. You can create swimming pools for little kids and shrimps, a sea zoo covering all animals found on the beach (do not exaggerate and release any living animal after an hour or before you leave). For the traders amoungst us you can make a days living creating a path through the estuary and raising toll from pedestrians.
The way up is as intresting, if you have the nerves to build below the high-tide level, you can make use of the moist sand. An extra property of the sea shores is the fact the water is salt. This in combination with the drying wind glues the grains together.
If you are going to create a sea fort, or bunker, just start building the front wall with your face to the sea. You should try to leave the sand just outside your fort untouched to avoid weakening when the tide is comming. The water always creates slope lengths of about one thirth of the vertical. Also keep this in mind building your walls, the outer slope should be very long. Do not pay too much attention to the land side of your fort as by the time the water reaches the back side without breaching the front you already have won as far as possible.
For large and massive structures you first wipe the top layer of dry sand in the neighbourhood together into roughly the desired shape. Then you carve roughly the desired shape of the mountain in the sand. Now you have to decide where to get the sand from. The direct surrounding will influence the shape and size of your construction. A way is to get the sand in buckets from a few steps further down the beach. This will create strange wave shapes when the tide comes in. You can also dig the whole surrounding area into a nice big hole using the sand for your construct in the middle. Always try to use the dry sand at the base as this is loose and will not create walls or towers and by piling moist sand on top, it will get firm eventually.
Decoration should be no problem the sea offers a wide variety of shells and feathers. By depositing these in parrallel lines along the beach you can pick the size shape and color to make your structure one with the beach. Do not use plastic toys as most of these just afer once used end up taken by the sea.
The plasic toys are meant to be used by very little children playing in the sand way up on the dry area where the mothers can search the whole day for the missing peaces.
I do strongly advise NOT to bury anybody in sand ( A352522 ) as in recent years more then a dozen children have suffocated while their friends buried them. Or perhaps I should advice such as this planet is crowded by humans already? For them who insist in doing so: just bury the legs, or pay a visit to some nomadic tribes in desert areas, they use it as treadment for enemys.
