Baltic Sea Sand at Tallinn, Estonia
This sand is primarily quartz grains about 100 micrometers
in diameter. These grains have been separated from the bulk
sand using LST (Lithium heteropolytungstate) and mounted in Melt Mount, 1.704
refractive index.
Transmitted Oblique Off Crossed Circular Polarized Light
Definition/Function:
Significance in the Environment:
Characteristic Features:
these grains are pink and have a refractive index well below 1.704. They are strongly
pleochroic, pink to very dark green.
Associated Particles:
References:
Greenberg, Gary, A GRAIN OF SAND: NATURE'S SECRET WONDER, Voyageur Press, 2008.
Welland, Michael, SAND: THE NEVER ENDING STORY, University of California Press, 2009.
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjun01/clsand.html
(Good Information on the microscopy of sand, Great site for more information on
microscopy in general)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-grain-of-sand-natures-secret-wonder
(Good Information on Sand with links to more information on sand)
http://www.sciencelive.org/component/option,com_mediadb/task,play/idstr,Open-feeds_fsc_exploring_sedimentary_processes_fsc02_02_m4v/vv,-2/Itemid,97
(Brief, very informative video on what can be learned from the shape of a sand
grain.)