THE MUSEUM OF SAND in PORTLAND, OREGON: USA. PACIFIC OCEAN. PUPUKEA, OAHU HAWAII.

Welcome to the Museum of Sand

The Museum of Sand was established to house and share a private collection of sand from around the world. Our mission is to share with people the wonders of sand, and promote curiosity about the origins and characteristics of these geologic and biologic materials. Our growing collection provides a rare and close-up glimpse into the fascinating micro-world of sand grains.

Most posts to the Museum of Sand blog will be photos of a sand sample, with information about it and a map showing the collection location. A list of sand samples will be updated frequently. To see a listed sample, enter its name in the search box.

We are slowly posting the numerous samples in the Museum collection to this site; please check back occasionally to find new posted samples.

The Head Curator of the Museum, Paul Fishman, is an ecologist; he hopes to learn more about the geologic origins of the samples in the museum, and will add this information as possible.

In March, 2012, Paul made a startling discovery on the internet: he is not alone! Here is a link to the International Sand Collectors Society.

Finally, a thank you to the few agents of the Museum of Sand who have gathered samples for our collection.

Attribution and copyright notice: all images of sand samples are the property of the Museum of Sand and may not be used without Museum permission. Map and satellite images are screen shots from Google Maps, and are properly attributed.

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

USA. PACIFIC OCEAN. PUPUKEA, OAHU HAWAII.

The sample is from Sunset Beach on the North Shore of the island of Oahu, Hawai'i. The sand consists primarily of rounded and polished bits of coral and shell. The round object with the swirl pattern is a snail operculum, which is the "door" that seals the shell opening when the snail withdraws. Opercula are commonly found on many beaches where there is a large population of snails offshore.