The tallest sandcastle ever was over 17 meters tall—that’s as tall as some palm trees!
Of course, you don’t have to be a record-breaker to enjoy the beach.
Here’s a curious question, though: Why are beaches made of sand?
Why are beaches made of sand?
Sand is made up of tiny pieces of rocks and minerals.
Most grains are less than a millimeter across and there are hundreds of millions of them in every bucketful!
Sand forms when powerful winds or heavy rains remove tiny pieces from larger rocks.
The pieces are carried away by wind and rainwater. Often they end up in rivers and streams, which then flow into the ocean.
Some pieces settle on the ocean floor.
But some wash ashore—forming a beach!
The waves and tides continue grinding the rock into smaller pieces.
Until eventually, over thousands or even millions of years, it becomes soft sand—perfect for building castles!
But not every beach is the same.
Check out this beach! It’s black—made of cooled-down, smashed-up lava!
And what about the white sand you get on tropical islands?
That’s mostly made by parrotfish, which bite off chunks of white coral, grind it up into sand, and then poop it out!
Something to remember next time you’re relaxing by the sea!
So, wind and rain break down rocks into smaller pieces, some pieces end up in oceans, and eventually they wash ashore to form a beach.
Got it?
Great—another curious question answered!