sand - dune sand - orange-pink sand derived from the Navajo Sandstone - set of two 2-ounce jars

Sand is derived from whatever material is locally available. Sand on the beaches of the Bay of Campeche on the Gulf Coast of Mexico can be entirely composed of shell fragments, since shells are what is available.

This interesting sand was derived from the Navajo Sandstone which makes up the cross-bedded cliffs at Zion National Park in Utah and which is widely distributed in southern Utah outside of the park. The sand grains are entirely frosted quartz.

Transported from the Appalachians by a continent-spanning river system, the Navajo was deposited during the Jurassic as sand in a vast coastal and inland dune field, which subsequently became lithified into a sandstone. Near Hurricane, Utah this sandstone is 2,400 feet thick. The frosted quartz grains are characteristic of the Navajo Sandstone - the quartz grains essentially sandblasted each other as they were transported by the wind and deposited in dunes. 

Near Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah, the Coral Pink Sand Dunes are entirely composed of similar sand derived from the Navajo Sandstone. It's an interesting example of recycling, where a Jurassic dune field becomes lithified to become the Navajo Sandstone, then roughly 160 million years later weathers to become sand again which locally forms dunes. The Coral Pink Dunes form where wind funnels between the Moquith and Moccasin Mountains - dunes require a source of sand and a steady wind from the same direction. 

This is uniformly grain-sized, a very clear and frosted quartz sand with a thin hematite coating. Your students can compare this sand with the source material. We have student and hand specimens of the Navajo Sandstone in stock. 

Set of two 2-ounce jars. You can mix and match, substituting any of the other sands we have in stock for one of these jars.

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