Sand grains magnified 110-250 times reveal each grain is unique.
The tip of a spiral shell has broken off and become a grain of sand. After being repeatedly tumbled by action of the surf this spiral sand grain has become opalescent in character. It is surrounded by bits of coral, a pink shell fragment, a foram (a type of protozoa) and volcanic material. Photo copyright Dr. Gary Greenberg.
A handful of sand grains selected from a beach in Maui and arranged on a black background. Photo copyright Dr. Gary Greenberg.
Every grain of sand in the world is unique when viewed through a microscope.
Sand magnified 250 times. Photo copyright Dr. Gary Greenberg.
Sand Magnified. Photo by Yanping Wang.
Sand magnified 250 times. Photo via Tumblr.
Sand Magnified Around The World
The glacially deposited sands around Lake Winnibigoshish, Minnesota, contain abundant sediments from the igneous and metamorphic minerals of the Lake Superior basin. A sample includes pink garnets, green epidote, iron-rich red agates, black magnetite, and hematite. Photo copyright Dr. Gary Greenberg.
Magnified grains of star sand from Southern Japan, made up of the calcified shells of tiny organisms. Photo by Richard Mouser Williams.
Beautiful Framed Seashell
Neat idea for decorating a beach house, or any space you want a splash of the sea. The frame is 14″x17″, and yes, it’s a real seashell. Sold by Art.com for $119.99.
Magnified grains of Star Sand. Photo by Richard Mouser Williams.
Puffy Stars: Star-Shaped Sand Grains from Okinawa. These tiny foram, a type of protozoa, secrete beautiful star-shaped, calcium carbonate shells, or tests. Photo via sandgrains.com.
Coral sand magnified one-hundred times using transmission electron microscopy, brightfield mode. By Dr. David Maitland, Feltwell, UK, microscopyu.com
Many grains of sand are tiny crystals (shiny, flat-sided solids). Sand from Zushi Beach, Japan, contains what looks like a sapphire crystal. The crystal is larger than the surrounding grains and has survived eroding because of its hardness and quality. Photo copyright Dr. Gary Greenberg.
Fragments of baby sea urchin shells, magnified one-hundred times. Biogenic sand, formed from the remains of marine life, is the major ingredient of many tropical beaches. Via popgive.com. Originally found at “popgive.com/2009/01/tiny-work-of-art-in-each-grain-of-sand.html”
A magnified view of the tropical beach sand from the Caribbean island of St. John (U.S. Virgin Islands). The grains include porous fragments of brightly-colored corals, minute foraminiferan shells, fragments of sea shells and shiny, star-shaped sponge spicules. Originally found at “waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0704b.htm”
Sand Photographer Dr. Gary Greenberg
Every grain of sand is a jewel waiting to be discovered. That’s what Dr. Gary Greenberg found when he first turned his microscope on beach sand. Gemlike minerals, colorful coral fragments, and delicate microscopic shells reveal that sand comprises much more than tiny beige rocks.
Author and photographer Dr. Gary Greenberg is a visual artist who creatively combines art with science. He has a Ph.D. in biomedical research from University College London and holds 17 patents for high-definition 3-D light microscopes. Dr. Greenberg lives in Haiku, Hawaii.
Dr. Greenberg has published two books:
- A Grain of Sand: Nature’s Secret Wonder
- The Secrets of Sand: A Journey into the Amazing Microscopic World of Sand
The Universe Of Sand
Carl Sagan famously remarked “the total number of stars in the universe is greater than all the grains of sand on all the beaches on the planet Earth.” University of Hawai’i researches estimate that the total number of ‘all’ grains of sand on the whole planet could be approximately 75 billion billion. Scientists still believe there are more stars in the Universe.
Speaking of planets: If a grain of sand represented an entire galaxy; so each grain of sand, or galaxy, contains 100’s of billions of stars, you would need to fill six rooms full of sand to contain all the galaxies in the known universe. If you drilled a tiny hole in one of the grains of sand, ‘our Milky Way universe,’ that would be the area that we have been capable of seaching for planets so far. About 2000 planets have been discovered so far.
they look like small rocks!
Amazing
this is hard to believe. Al
Is this also true of sand that is used to replenish beaches that have been washed away by storms?
I thoroughly enjoyed this display of magnified grains of sand. I cannot believe I have walked on such beautiful gems!
Makes me feel like I’m a tiny grain in this small world of ours (feeling humble)
Let go!
So many people credit the indescribable beauty of magnified grains of sand to the Lord, our Father in Heaven, our Creator, a Maestro, etc. Then the (intolerant) comment, ‘how can anyone not believe in God’. So, my question is: Is it not possible for an atheist to appreciate such beauty, as well as the majesty of Yosemite or the beautiful coral reefs and fish of the tropical seas? I am and I do.
Amazing! Snowflakes ain’t got nothing on grains of sand.
This is really the most facinating group of photographs I have ever seen Especially as a retired geography teacher
Thank you for this wonderful Email!! Isn’t nature wonderful. This puts sand in a different category in my mind!!
If you go to the Baths on Virgin Gorda – not all of the beach is coral sand – I brought some of my husband’s ashes and let them drift to the beach!
Ron, thank you for posting these incredible photos. I am mesmerized by them!
Wow. Just wow! They are magnificent, I had no idea. Thank you.
GOD is good!
God is indeed good! This makes me think of how blessed we are to be able to see these wonders!
Thank you for sharing! I lived, walked and picnicked on the beaches in Kennebunk Maine for many years. I could never have imagined all of this beauty around me. I certainly will appreciate it all the more now and be so very grateful.
God knows every hair on my head & also the ones not there anymore. He knows all the stars. I believe his knowledge so infinite that He knows every grain of sand on the beaches.
The Glory of God’s creation is just mind boggling! The intricacy and mystery is beyond comprehension!!
How Awesome is our God!!
The times I have walked on the beach, I never thought about what the grains of sand looked like or that there could be such diversity in them. It gives me a new perspective of the beach and the need for mankind to take better care of God’s creation that he has willing shared with us.
Jehovah, Jehovah the creator of the heavens and the earth and all things in them, even if we live forever, man kind will never know all the workings of your hands, the things seem or unseen;
Jehovah, The Sovereign of the universe,
We thank you
These pictures are fascinating!
Having been born and raised on the Outer Banks of NC, this is something I have always appreciated. My family is Baptist and Sundays after Church, it was a family thing to go to the beach and enjoy GOD’S gift of eternal beauty there. It is so true that HE knows every grain of sand and He knows us inside and out. How comforting to know we have a GOD this awesome.
Thank you LORD for giving the beauty of this world to us for our pleasure.
Fascinating photos. I’d like to see some of the volcanic sand from Iwo Jima at 250 magnification if anybody has any.
Thanks.
God bless all.
The Master Artist!
unbelieveable! I would have never guessed.
Beautiful. You are right, I will never look at sand the same way.
How can any one on this planet not believe that there is no God. There is no way that I could imagine sand could so beautiful. Simply amazing.
May God bless.
Thank you so much for sharing it with me
Beautiful work!
The Lord is more awesome every moment in His creations.
There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand in ALL the beaches in the world, and those stars all have multiple planets orbiting them. Now that is the work of the creator of the universe.
Thank you very interesting,got nothing like this in school,do you know if they teach this now??
We have a beautiful earth but I am afraid it will not last.Our North American Indians tried to save it but have lost the battle as MONEY is the program today.What a shame but THANK you again very BEAUTIFUL !!
Art
Oh the depth of the riches, both the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his Judgments and his ways past finding out.’
Romans 11:33
It would be interesting to see the White Sands of New Mexico under the microscope. New Project? Wow!
Spectacular cannot even describe this. Unique is not enough. God smacked is closest I can get!
Cheers
Brenda
This is truly amazing. No one would ever know what sand really looks like. It’s really beautiful.
Like all the lives that have ever lived are the grains of sand. And we grow old and grumble like all things and will go back to the earth…ashes to ashes and dust…Unless you are off exploring space and die…then you’re off the beach as it were
I loved the star grains before I read Carl Sagen’s quote. I rememer on his TV show, Cosmos, he told us we are all made of the same DNA as star dust. No wonder I love the beach.
Kathy, Milwaukee, Wi
Amazing! One takes for granted TOO many things…
What an eye opening website. Commenting on the universe as compared to a grain of sand is
an awesome way to put humanity in perspective.
Thank you for bringing back humility.
Bev Shutt
Who knew these gorgeous colors & shapes exist right under our feet. I have a better appreciation for this sometime pesky substance.
just think what GOD has for us believers forever!
Billions and billions of grains of sand on the earth? and no two are alike? LOOK at what GOD our CREATOR has done!!!
Just great ! BRAVO
Amazing , just simply amazing
Could each grain of sand represent a soul of a life that once existed?, since there are no two alike
This is incredible – what an amazing Creator our God is!
And still there are people who beleive this magic was made by itself, What an
Awsome God we have, I praise Him!!!
full of wonderment…yes…!
To the ones who think your Christian god created all this beauty — Is it only 6 thousand years old like the rest of the Universe?
If the ‘Prince Of Peace’ really does come back, he will weep for all the profound ignorance in the world. Probably will pssd be off too! After all, he is just a man.
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Each day we can see what glorious miracles our Father in Heaven has given each of us and yet we are struggling to keep him in our lives in today’s world. May we all keep our prayers strong so his beauty can continue on this earth.
WOW!!!!!!! Is all can vocalize!!!!!