NAME _____________________________ 
ATLANTIC COAST SAND LAB 

1.		What was your sample number? ____________ 

2.		What was the name of the beach, city and state where it was collected? 

3.		Sand is created by rocks being abraded. Where did the rocks originate that formed the sand on your beach? Don’t skip over this question. Go back and look at the map. Do a little research. 

4.		Some people thought that the size of the sand grain was controlled by the latitude. As you head from north to south, is there any pattern to the size of the sand grains? What is the pattern? 

5.		Some people thought that the color of the sand was controlled by latitude. Their hypothesis was that because the concentration of the light was strongest in the southern latitudes, the sand would be bleached. Do the sands get lighter as you go south? If yes, do you think that’s controlled by the sun. If no, what does control the color of the sand? 

6.	 Most coastal geologists divide the Atlantic Coast into four regions based on the composition of the sand. Look at the samples. Based on the class’ results, give each of those four zones a name, and identify what would be found in their sand. Give a boundary (the middle of New Jersey for example) for where the zone would end if you are heading from North to South.

7.	Rewrite your hypothesis to explain what happens to the physical characteristics of sand as you head south. How confident are you in your answer? What would you need to do to prove it?