| Lakes
Many different types of open water including lakes,
lochs, reservoirs and even small ponds are often worthy
destinations for sand collecting. Even the humblest of
ponds may have a small beach where the action of wind and
wave have laid down particles of sand, silt and clay. It
might not be as well graded as coastal beaches but sand and
similar materials can often be collected. The composition
of these beaches can vary considerably and is very much
dependant of the local geology and the type and quantity of
materials carried in by the rivers and streams that feed the
lake, pond or whatever. From experience in my local area,
the south east of Scotland, actual sand seems to be quite
scarce, with fine gravel, silt and clay being dominant. For
some this might be an issue but I also collect silt and clay
samples so almost always come away with a sample of
something or other. Other than beaches along the shore,
collectors should also pay particular attention to where
rivers and streams join the lake. During floods rivers and
streams can carry a considerable amount of sediment and
when the river enters an open body of water such as a lake,
the flow rate slows and the river can no longer hold this
sediment in suspension. It then settles onto the lake floor,
sometimes forming geological features known as alluvial
fans, which can be quite extensive. Beds of sand, fine
gravel, silt and clay can often be found at such locations. Of
course, some open bodies of water lack any obvious locations
where samples might be collected, no beaches, no alluvial
fans. Many upland lakes and tarns are like this almost
devoid of fine materials resembling sand, at least visible
to the collector. But all is not
lost, you may still be able to gather some sand, or at the
very least some silt from which sand might be derived. You can do this by sand fishing. Sand
fishing, which can also be used quite successfully at the
coast or along rivers, is essentially a form of micro-dredging, but
uses a small weighted collecting container attached to a
line to dredge sand or
sediment from the lake bed. The container is thrown by
hand, or cast if using a fishing rod, into the lake and
allowed to sink. It is then retrieved and hopefully, sand
will have been gathered in the container. In practice, sand fishing is a bit hit and
miss, as you never know what will turn up, or indeed, if
there's anything there in the first place. See the
Projects section for more on sand fishing. |
