A Study of Wind-Blown Sand 



Geo. J. Miller 



[Editor's note. — The following article outlines some work in geogra- 

 ph}^ b}^ the "nature study method." The second article is the work of a 

 student, showing the reaction to such instruction.] 



OijjECT AND Method of Field Work. 



The primary things to be gained by a field trip in geography 

 is ability to interpret correctly a geographic feature in all its 

 relationships and to learn geographic facts first hand. It is 

 obvious that the training involved in field work is far more im- 

 portant than the learning of facts. The student, therefore, should 

 be led to discover and interpret the field matter. The teacher 

 should be the leader, but should give information only when it 

 cannot be gotten from the students themselves. If necessary 

 let them work on a problem during the entire trip or for several 

 days thereafter. If field work is done before the subject has 

 been studied in the class room more information will have to be 

 supplied by the teacher, but, even then a surprisingly large amount 

 can be supplied by the students. So far as possible it is best to 

 study the subject in the field first. 



Wind-Blown Sand. 



What subjects are to be investigated in a study of wind- 

 blown sand? The subjects do not change materially whatever 

 the age of the student, but the variables are the amount that can 

 be accomplished and the quality of the work done. In general 

 the following topics or problems are considered : 



1. Sources of the sand. 2. Movement of the sand. 



3. Work done by wind-blown sand. 4. Life of a dune area. 



5. Human relations. 



Sources of the Sand. 



The immediate source of the sand may be sandstone rock, 

 lake or ocean shores, or rivers. If from sandstone, exposures 

 of the rock probably will be found within the dune area or to the 

 windward of it. If from lake or ocean shores, or from rivers, 

 the sand may have been derived from distant or local sandstone 

 or sorted from soil by wave or stream action. If Lake Michigan 

 be taken as an example the immediate source is the soil along 

 its shores. The soil in this case is almost entirely glacial drift 

 and the sand is sorted from the drift and carried along the shore 

 by shore currents. When washed upon the beach it soon dries 



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