Arenophile

An arenophile is one who collects sand samples, the interest of the hobby lying in the variety of texture, colour, mineralogy and location.[1]

Sand from Pismo Beach, California. Components are primarily quartz, chert, igneous rock and shell fragments. Scale bar is 1.0 mm.
Sand from Kalalau Beach, Hawaii.(Field width = 5.5 mm) A few grains of olivine is visible, which is the green sand of some beaches of Hawaii.
Star sand (Field width = 5.22 mm).

Etymology

The terms arenophile meaning "sand lover" and the associated arenophilia derive from the Latin arena (sand) and the Greek phil (love).These words are not, as of 2019, included in the Oxford English Dictionary. The term Psammophile (derived from two Greek words) is also used, and found in the OED, but with reference to plants or animals rather than human collectors.[2][3] The adjective arenophilic is used in biology, as in "arenophilic glands, the mucoid secretions of which attach sand grains ...".[4]

Collecting

This hobby may include sand deposited on coastlines throughout the world. Some collectors may trade sands with fellow arenophiles.

Some collectors have included sand from rivers and mineral deposits if they meet the criteria according to diameter and physical properties, ensuring that the samples have met proper sand definition.

Only three places on earth have green sand; recently a supply has been found in Brazil. The rarest sands, from a collector's perspective, are found at Pitcairn's Island and Easter Island. Some sands, such as rare black and green sands in Hawaii, may not be collected due to their scarcity.[5] The International Sand Collectors Society advises collectors become aware of any legal restrictions or permissions that may be required to collect sand from any public or and private location.[6] The International Sand Collectors Society fosters contact for tips and sample swapping among collectors worldwide.

References
  1. Willis, Rebecca. "The Magic of Sand". Intelligent Life (July/August 2013).
  2. Welland, Michael. Sand: The Never-Ending Story. California UP. p. 14. ISBN 9780520265974. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  3. "psammophile, n. and adj.". Oxford English Dictionary (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. September 2005. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. Sartori, André Fernando (October 2006). "Arenophilic mantle glands in the Laternulidae (Bivalvia: Anomalodesmata) and their evolutionary significance". Acta Zoologica. 87 (4). doi:10.1111/j.1463-6395.2006.00240.x.
  5. See for example: "Best Hawaii Beaches of the Big Island", Magical Hawaii, Accessed June 28, 2014 Archived August 13, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Become a Collector, International Sand Collectors Society

Further reading
  • National Geographic, April 27, 1985, "Sand, a vanishing resource"
  • The Colliers encyclopedia, Volume R-T, subheading "Sand".
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