His write-up gives a basic introduction to glassmaking and shows the difference between using sand alone, and using sodium carbonate to reduce the melting point. He produces a few brittle barely ...

My general philosophy is to use experiments and models to understand some key process – for example, abrasion of carbonate sand – then move to a modern environment to test how well these models work ...

Coral sand, also referred to as biogenic sand, isn’t just made up of material that’s passed through a parrotfish. The movement of the ocean is abrasive and can also wear down calcium carbonate ...