An arenophile is one who collects

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

samples, the interest of the

hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...

lying in the variety of texture, colour,

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

and place of origin.

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, , included in the ''

Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...

''. The term

Psammophile A psammophile ( ) is a plant or animal that prefers or thrives in sandy areas. Plant psammophiles are also known as psammophytes. They thrive in places such as the Arabian Peninsula and the Sahara and also the dunes of coastal regions. Because of ...

(derived from two Greek words) is also used, and found in the ''OED'', but with reference to plants or animals rather than human collectors. The adjective ''arenophilic'' is used in biology, as in "arenophilic glands, the mucoid secretions of which attach sand grains ...".

Collecting

According to the ''International Sand Collector's Society'' (ISCS)'','' the hobby of sand collecting dates from at least the turn of the 20th century. Collectors may seek out sand from coastlines or the shores of rivers which hold some personal significance, or sand which is considered interesting for its unique qualities. Collecting sand involves minimal equipment, such as a shovel for digging, and containers to store the sand; good record-keeping is advised, since it can be hard to identify a sand's origin after the fact. Some collectors may trade sands with fellow arenophiles in order to complete their collection. Sand with certain characteristics is considered rare, such as green sand found in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

and

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Rarity might also be derived from the remoteness of the sand's location, such as the

Pitcairn Islands The Pitcairn Islands ( ; Pitkern: '), officially Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the sole British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the ...

Easter Island Easter Island (, ; , ) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, ...

. Sand collecting is forbidden in certain locations: as an example, the ''Coast Protection Act 1949'' makes it illegal in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

to remove any quantity of sand or pebbles from beaches and shorelines. In 2019, it was reported that a French couple would face between one and six years in prison for removing 40kg (88lb) of sand from a beach in the Sardinian city of Chia. The ISCS advises its members to be mindful of where they are collecting sand and of relevant local laws.

References

{{Reflist

External links

International Sand Collectors Society

Sand collecting resource site

Sand collection of Daniel Helber
Collecting Sand

Etymology

Collecting

References

Further reading

External links