| Collecting
Actually collecting sand is not difficult, it's just case
of going to a suitable location such as a beach and looking
for any sand that attracts your interest. Even on a single
beach different colours, grades and compositions of sand can
be found in a relatively small area. In fact, at one beach I
visited I collected 18 different samples - you can see
how quickly a collection can grow!
To collect the sand, use a spoon or similar implement to
scoop the sand into your sampling bag or container. A good tip is to
label the sampling container before you start scooping - a
good habit to get into as it avoid getting things mixed up
if done later. Everyone has their own method of working and
I suppose my own will do as an example. You can adopt it or
develop your own as you wish.
When first on location it's very much a case of simply
wandering around looking for samples to collect. At first
you might not see very much but with experience you will
soon known the ideal places to search.
My own method after a suitable sample has been located is
to first label the sampling bag, using a permanent marker
pen to write the date, the name of
the location and where the sample was collected, on the bag.
If you don't have bags with write-on panels, an alternative
would be to attach a sticky label and write on that. Then I use a spoon, either a
teaspoon or tablespoon, to scoop sand into a 60 ml plastic
sampling container. This is then poured into the labelled sampling bag
which is carefully sealed. This bag then goes into a second,
slightly larger bag, before being placed in the main
collecting bag - an old fishing tackle bag. This double-bag
system helps prevent sand getting lost and mixed up through
bursts or the bag inadvertently opening. With samples
holding a lot of moisture, double bagging is essential.
How much sand you collect is very much a personal matter.
As a rule you need at least enough to fill the container
you've selected to display your samples - if that's what you
are planning to do. My own method to ensure this is to fill
a small container of known volume - in my case 60 ml. You
can then be sure you have enough. It might seem more than
you need but there will always be some waste such as pebbles
or organic matter you don't need.
Remember - The less you collect the less you have to
carry!
Then it's just a case of looking for further samples and
repeating the same procedure. All this might seem rather
long-winded but it's important to be organised and
methodical from the very start. A collection can soon run
into many hundreds of samples over a short period of time,
in fact, some collectors have more than 10,000 samples, so
it pays to be organised from the outset. |
