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Close-up of sand from the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, showing a surface area of 1 square centimetre.

Sand dunes in Libya.

Heavy minerals (dark) in a quartz beach sand (Chennai, India).

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles. The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal settings is silica (silicon dioxide, or SiO₂), usually in the form of quartz.

The second most common form of sand is calcium carbonate, for example aragonite, which has mostly been created, over the past half billion years, by various forms of life like coral and shellfish. It is, for example, the primary form of sand apparent in areas where reefs have dominated the ecosystem for millions of years, like the Caribbean.

Composition[link]

In terms of particle size as used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 mm (or ⅟16 mm) to 2 mm. An individual particle in this range size is termed a sand grain. Sand grains are between gravel (with particles ranging from 2 mm up to 64 mm) and silt (particles smaller than 0.0625 mm down to 0.004 mm). The size specification between sand and gravel has remained constant for more than a century, but particle diameters as small as 0.02 mm were considered sand under the Albert Atterberg standard in use during the early 20th century. A 1953 engineering standard published by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials set the minimum sand size at 0.074 mm. A 1938 specification of the United States Department of Agriculture was 0.05 mm.^[1] Sand feels gritty when rubbed between the fingers (silt, by comparison, feels like flour).

ISO 14688 grades sands as fine, medium and coarse with ranges 0.063 mm to 0.2 mm to 0.63 mm to 2.0 mm. In the United States, sand is commonly divided into five sub-categories based on size: very fine sand (⅟16 – ⅛ mm diameter), fine sand (⅛ mm – ¼ mm), medium sand (¼ mm – ½ mm), coarse sand (½ mm – 1 mm), and very coarse sand (1 mm – 2 mm). These sizes are based on the Krumbein phi scale, where size in Φ = -log base 2 of size in mm. On this scale, for sand the value of Φ varies from −1 to +4, with the divisions between sub-categories at whole numbers.

Sand from Pismo Beach, California. Components are primarily quartz, chert, igneous rock and shell fragments. Scale bar is 1.0 mm.

Close up of black volcanic sand from Perissa, in Santorini, Greece

Sand from Kalalau Beach, Hawaii (Field width = 5.5 mm). We see a few grains of olivine, which is the green sand of some beaches of Hawaii.

The most common constituent of sand, in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal settings, is silica (silicon dioxide, or SiO₂), usually in the form of quartz, which, because of its chemical inertness and considerable hardness, is the most common mineral resistant to weathering.

Correlative analysis of Icelandic volcanic beach sand from Reynisfjara beach, using a Stereo Microscope and an Scanning Electron Microscope with EDS detection system for element analysis.

The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions. The bright white sands found in tropical and subtropical coastal settings are eroded limestone and may contain coral and shell fragments in addition to other organic or organically derived fragmental material, suggesting sand formation depends on living organisms, too.^[2] The gypsum sand dunes of the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico are famous for their bright, white color. Arkose is a sand or sandstone with considerable feldspar content, derived from the weathering and erosion of a (usually nearby) granitic rock outcrop. Some sands contain magnetite, chlorite, glauconite or gypsum. Sands rich in magnetite are dark to black in color, as are sands derived from volcanic basalts and obsidian. Chlorite-glauconite bearing sands are typically green in color, as are sands derived from basaltic (lava) with a high olivine content. Many sands, especially those found extensively in Southern Europe, have iron impurities within the quartz crystals of the sand, giving a deep yellow color. Sand deposits in some areas contain garnets and other resistant minerals, including some small gemstones.

Environments[link]

Sand from Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah. These are grains of quartz with a hematite coating providing the orange color. Scale bar is 1.0 mm.

Sand is transported by wind and water and deposited in the form of beaches, dunes, sand spits, sand bars and related features. In environments such as gravel-bed rivers and glacial moraines it often occurs as one of the many grain sizes that are represented. Sand-bed rivers, such as the Platte River in Nebraska, USA, have sandy beds largely because there is no larger source material that they can transport. Dunes, a distinctive geographical feature of desert environments, are on the other hand sandy because larger material is generally immobile in wind. Sand is a component of soil.

Study[link]

An electron micrograph showing grains of sand

Photomicrograph of a volcanic sand grain; upper picture is plane-polarized light, bottom picture is cross-polarized light, scale box at left-center is 0.25 millimeter.

The study of individual grains can reveal much historical information as to the origin and kind of transport of the grain. Quartz sand that is recently weathered from granite or gneiss quartz crystals will be angular. It is called grus in geology or sharp sand in the building trade where it is preferred for concrete, and in gardening where it is used as a soil amendment to loosen clay soils. Sand that is transported long distances by water or wind will be rounded, with characteristic abrasion patterns on the grain surface. Desert sand is typically rounded.

People who collect sand as a hobby are known as arenophiles. Organisms that thrive in sandy environments are psammophiles.

Uses[link]

At 300 km/h, an ICE 3 (DB class 403) releases sand from several bogies to the rails.

Sand sorting tower at a gravel extraction pit.

• Agriculture: Sandy soils are ideal for crops such as watermelons, peaches, and peanuts, and their excellent drainage characteristics make them suitable for intensive dairy farming.
• Aquaria: Sand makes a low cost aquarium base material which some believe is better than gravel for home use. It is also an absolute necessity for saltwater reef tanks, which emulate environments composed largely of aragonite sand broken down from coral and shellfish.
• Artificial reefs: Geotextile bagged sand can serve as the foundation for new reefs.
• Beach nourishment: Governments move sand to beaches where tides, storms or deliberate changes to the shoreline erode the original sand.^[3]
• Brick: Manufacturing plants add sand to a mixture of clay and other materials for manufacturing bricks.
• Cob: Coarse sand makes up as much as 75% of cob.
• Mortar: Sand is mixed with cement and sometimes lime to be used in masonry construction.
• Concrete: Sand is often a principal component of this critical construction material.
• Hydraulic Fracturing: The drilling technique for natural gas also known as fracing use "frac sand". The rounded silica sand is used as a "proppant" a material that holds the cracks open that is caused by the hydraulic fracturing process.
• Glass: Sand is the principal component in common glass.
• Landscaping: Sand makes small hills and slopes (for example, in golf courses).
• Paint: Mixing sand with paint produces a textured finish for walls and ceilings or non-slip floor surfaces.
• Railroads: Train operators use sand to improve the traction of wheels on the rails.
• Roads: Sand improves traction (and thus traffic safety) in icy or snowy conditions.
• Sand animation: Performance artists draw images in sand. Makers of animated films use the same term to describe their use of sand on frontlit or backlit glass.
• Sand casting: Casters moisten or oil molding sand, also known as foundry sand and then shape it into molds into which they pour molten material. This type of sand must be able to withstand high temperatures and pressure, allow gases to escape, have a uniform, small grain size and be non-reactive with metals.
• Sand castles: Shaping sand into castles or other miniature buildings is a popular beach activity.
• Sandbags: These protect against floods and gunfire. The inexpensive bags are easy to transport when empty, and unskilled volunteers can quickly fill them with local sand in emergencies.
• Sandblasting: Graded sand serves as an abrasive in cleaning, preparing, and polishing.
• Water filtration: Media filters use sand for filtering water.
• Zoanthid "skeletons": Animals in this order of marine benthic cnidarians related to corals and sea anemones, incorporate sand into their mesoglea for structural strength, which they need because they lack a true skeleton.

Hazards[link]

A stingray about to bury itself in sand

While sand is generally non-toxic, sand-using activities such as sandblasting require precautions. Bags of silica sand used for sandblasting now carry labels warning the user to wear respiratory protection to avoid breathing the resulting fine silica dust. Material safety data sheets (MSDS) for silica sand state that "excessive inhalation of crystalline silica is a serious health concern".^[4]

In areas of high pore water pressure sand and salt water can form quicksand, which is a colloid hydrogel that behaves like a liquid. Quicksand produces a considerable barrier to escape for creatures caught within, who often die from exposure (not from submersion) as a result.

Environmental Issues[link]

Sand's many uses require a significant dredging industry, raising environmental concerns over fish depletion, landslides, and flooding. Countries such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Cambodia ban sand exports, citing these issues as a major factor.^[5]

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sand

• Beach
• Dry quicksand
• Sandstorm
• Heavy mineral sands ore deposits
• Oil sands
• Particle size
• Quicksand
• Sand island
• Sand Rat
• Sandstone
• Singing sand
• Tar sands
• White Sands National Monument

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up sand in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Beach Sand: What It Is, Where It Comes From and How It Gets Here Beaufort County, SC
• ISO

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Kseniya Simonova
Kseniya Simonova in 2010
Birth name	Kseniya Simonova
Born	(1985-04-22) April 22, 1985 (age 27) Yevpatoria, Crimea, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Nationality	Ukrainian
Field	Painting, Drawing, sand animation
Training	Tavrida National V.I. Vernadsky University (2007), "Ukrainian Academy of Printing". http://party.civicua.org/study/institut/0000380.htm.  (2003)
Awards	Winner of "Ukraine’s got Talent”

Kseniya Simonova, (Ukrainian: Ксенія Симонова; married name: Kseniya Paskar, Ксенія Паскар) is the 2009 winner^[1][2] of the TV contest Ukraine’s Got Talent,^[3] which is part of the Got Talent series. She is a performance artist in sand animation and a philanthropist.

Biography[link]

Early life and family[link]

She was born on April 22, 1985 in Yevpatoria, a town on the Crimean peninsula, in Ukraine, which was then a part of the Soviet Union. Her mother, Irina Simonova, is an artist, a theatrical designer and teacher of fine arts. Her father, Alexander Simonov, is a former military officer who runs a business in furniture design. Since she was a child, Kseniya painted, drew and designed with her mother.

Kseniya’s parents discouraged her from a career as an artist. Kseniya explained, “It is a constant struggle. I knew that, and was ready for it. If you chose this profession, you're struggling all your life. You do not enjoy everyday life - like comfort, and buying furniture... You're always looking for something more, and actually, I was never interested in a life of comfort and buying furniture.”

In 2007, she married Igor Paskar,^[4] a theater director and magazine editor. Their son Dmitry was born on November 27, 2007.

Education[link]

She graduated from the Artistic School of Yevpatoria and studied in the School of Fine Arts. At school, Kseniya wrote research papers on English folk poetry and 15th and 16th century English folk songs and ballads. She also translated folk poetry and great poets like William Shakespeare, Robert Burns and George Gordon Byron.^[5] For her research work, Kseniya earned entrance to any University in Ukraine with English Philology Departments. In 2002, Kseniya chose a psychology major and graduated in 2007 from the Tavrida National V.I. Vernadsky University with honors. Her scientific specialization was Psychophysiology – a sphere between Psychology and Anatomy.^[6] At the same time, in 2003, Kseniya entered the Ukrainian Academy of Printing and studied Graphic Design. She graduated in 2008, six months after giving birth to her son.

Working as an Artist[link]

Since 2006 Kseniya has been working for a magazine “Crimean Riviera” as an artist. In 2007, Kseniya and her husband Igor Paskar, launched a bilingual magazine “Chocolate” in English and Russian. The magazine stopped production in 2008 due to the financial crisis.

Sand Artist[link]

This section contains close paraphrasing of a non-free copyrighted source, http://simonova.tv/en/story/ (Duplication Detector report). Ideas in this article should be expressed in an original manner. More details may be available on the talk page. (December 2011)

The idea to do a sand performance was her husband's idea, who wanted to do a new theater project. At first Kseniya refused, “I immediately realized that this is very difficult to perform. It was sand – not pencils or paints. How can this be used as a drawing material?” At the same time, their financial situation was strained, with the magazine out of business and a baby to support. Simonova remembers, “I was terribly depressed. I had problems with lactation and somehow had to calm myself. Igor said, 'Either we will go crazy or let’s do something! What about the sand?' I said, 'Why not?'"

First, Kseniya used sand from the beach, but it was too uncomfortable for sand animation. Then they tried river sand, but that did not work. Igor spent days sitting at the computer looking for appropriate sand on the Internet and finally found it. There was a group of geologists selling a special volcanic sand, but it was too expensive. Igor had to sell all his printing equipment to buy 3 kilograms of sand.

Kseniya Simonova started practicing drawing with sand in a small dark room in a house they rented. She said it was so difficult that she wanted to give it up in three days. It was physically hard because she had to stand for long hours. Ksenyia trained at nights for three months. In the day she was a full-time mother. From 10 pm to 4 am she was a sand artist. To realize the essence of sand animation, with its constant transformations of images, she had to retrain her vision and start seeing objects as they would appear in sand.

[edit] Winner of Ukraine's Got Talent

Her husband, Igor, suggested that she should enter the competition Ukraine's Got Talent, where the prize was one million hryvna, the equivalent of $110,000. Kseniya decided to enter.

She presented a two minute sand story ^[7] and was selected as a semi-finalist. She wanted to perform a sand story about World War II, but the producers encouraged her to choose a more popular theme. Kseniya refused, saying, "I just want to bring some immortal sense to this show. Not just pictures or video clips. Something close to all hearts."

The sand story Kseniya presented live on TV^[8] was an eight minute story of a young couple separated by the war.

In an interview she said, "It was so emotionally hard, and I now still can not think about those minutes without pain... My hands were dying and reviving making the images."

Kseniya was hoping to get some exposure as an artist, but it became much more. The audience was in tears. As soon as she finished her performance, applause erupted and she received a standing ovation.

Kseniya passed the semi-finals and moved on to the finals. In the third round, she performed a sand story about a son who became successful and forgot his parents.^[9] Kseniya wanted grown children to remember their parents and to encourage them to call. After that performance, people came up to her in the street saying, "After watching your story, I picked up the phone and called my mom. I haven’t talked to her in a year. Thank you very much!"

Kseniya was declared the winner of the competition^[10] and collected 100,000 euro. She was named an online sensation, when in one day her video from the show was viewed more than a million times. In one year, it was viewed over 25 million times. Kseniya understood what happened only after she returned to her native town Yevpatoria and could no longer walk freely in the streets. She was surrounded by people asking for autographs. With the money they won, Igor and Kseniya bought a house in Yevpatoria. They received invitations from all over the world to perform.

International fame[link]

This section contains close paraphrasing of a non-free copyrighted source, http://simonova.tv/en/story/ (Duplication Detector report). Ideas in this article should be expressed in an original manner. More details may be available on the talk page. (December 2011)

In the next two years, Simonova performed over 200 sand stories^[11][12] for audiences in Ukraine, Russia, Norway, Japan, Poland, Austria, China, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Qatar, India, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Kazakhstan and others.

She was honored to perform for Presidents George Abela (Malta, 2009), Bronisław Komorowski (Gdansk, 2010), Dmitry Medvedev (Moscow, Astana, 2010), Viktor Yanukovych (Kiev, 2010), Nursultan Nazarbayev (Astana, 2010), and for Members of the British Royal Family (London, 2010)^[13] and Norway (Oslo, 2010).

In 2009, at the invitation of the President of Malta, George Abela, she performed^[14] at the live Charity Ball L’Istrina to raise money for people suffering from cancer. In 24 hours, the performers raised 2.5 million euro.

On December 4, 2009, Simonova presented the first Sand Picture Exhibition.^[15] In 2010, she founded an International Cultural Center “Sand Club” in Yevpatoria.

On July 5, 2010, Simonova performed on the anniversary of Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan for an audience of 12 Head of States. They were Presidents of Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, China, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Emir of Abu-Dabi and the King of Jordan, and each one received a sand picture of his country from Simonova as a present.

On August 15, 2010 Simonova and her team presented a sand film^[16] in memory of a great poet and rock-musician Victor Tsoy.

In 2010, Simonova was invited to open^[17] the Fifth Annual Anti Human Trafficking Awards Ceremony sponsored by the International Organization for Migration in Kiev.^[18]

At 26 April 2011, Kseniya Simonova contributed a specially prepared animation at a memorial for Chernobyl in Rotterdam,^[19] marking the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster that still affects a lot of people in Ukraine and Belarus.

In 2011, she also performed on stage at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, during the performance of Ukrainian entry by Mika Newton.^[20]

Awards[link]

• 2009 honored by the Mayor of her hometown, Yevpatoria
• 2009 Gold Medal and honors («Общественное признание») from Yevpatoria, Government of Crimea
• 2009 “Person of the Year” finalist^[21] in Kiev
• 2009 honored by the Supreme Council of Crimea
• 2010 honored by the International Organization for Migration in Ukraine
• 2010 Honored Artist of the Autonomy, awarded by the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

• 

  Exhibition: A Sand Personality

• 

  Exhibition: A Sand Personality

• 

  Opening of the exhibition: Kseniya and the Mayor of Yevpatoria

• 

  Exhibition: A Sand Personality

• 

  Exhibition: A Sand Personality

• 

  Exhibition: A Sand Personality

Philanthropy[link]

In June 2008, Simonova and her husband Igor Paskar founded a local open charity organization “Live, my Sun!” («Живи, Солнышко!») to assist ill children and adults, pregnant women, young mothers and orphans. She is a Pro-life advocate. The organization works with the Orthodox Christian church and the Crimean diocese.

She creates sand videos to raise money for medical needs of children in Crimea. In her interviews, Kseniya says that she feels the greatest pleasure from helping others, much more than from buying cars, villas or jewellery. She is sure that God gave her a very special talent – an ability to tell the stories of those who need help – with sand.

References[link]

External links[link]

• simonova.tv, official website
• youtube.com/simonovatv, official YouTube channel (English)
• youtube.com/xensand, official YouTube channel (Ukrainian)
• Ukrainian sand artist proves that reality TV's got talent, The Guardian, 13 August 2009
• Ian Johnston, Sand artist Kseniya Simonova, winner of Ukraine's Got Talent…, Daily Telegraph, 19 September 2009

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (March 2011)

Fritz Kalkbrenner (° 1981 in Berlin) is a German DJ and producer.

Since 2002, Kalkbrenner has worked as a culture and music journalist for TV stations including MDR, MTV and Deutsche Welle.

In 2008 he produced the soundtrack for the motion picture Berlin Calling with his brother Paul Kalkbrenner. Both appeared in the film. The track Sky and Sand was his breakthrough in the music business.

Unlike compositions by his brother, Paul, Fritz's music is warmer - his cold electro-beats are influenced by warm soul-sounds and is a distinguishing characteristic from other electronic artists. His real breakthrough came with the movie “Berlin Calling” and in particular the soundtrack: “Sky and Sand”, which Fritz and his brother produced together. Fritz himself has released one album: “Here Today Gone Tomorrow”.

source: http://best4ears.de/

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• Here Today Gone Tomorrow (Suol, 2010)
• Suol Mates (Suol, 2012)

Singles and EP's[link]

• DJ Zky / Fritz Kalkbrenner – Stormy Weather (Cabinet Records, 2004)
• Paul & Fritz Kalkbrenner – Sky and Sand (BPitch Control, 2009)
• Chopstick & Johnjon feat. Fritz Kalkbrenner – A New Day (Baalsaal Music, 2009)
• Wingman EP (Baalsaal Music, 2009)
• The Dead End EP (Suol, 2010)
• Chopstick & Johnjon feat. Fritz Kalkbrenner – Keep On Keepin' On (Suol, 2010)
• Facing The Sun (Suol, 2010)
• Kings In Exile (Suol, 2010)
• Right In The Dark (Suol, 2011)
• Wes EP (Suol, 2011)

Movies[link]

• Berlin Calling (2008)

External links[link]

• Fritz Kalkbrenner at MySpace
• Fritz Kalkbrenner at Best4Ears
• Fritz Kalkbrenner at Discogs
• Fritz Kalkbrenner at the Internet Movie Database
• Berlin Calling (Hannes Stöhr) at iTunes

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