| Beach combers, old and young, have been picking | | | | the perfect beach is a tropical white sand beach |
| up wave-tumbled and rounded pieces of glass | | | | that is wide, sunny, and stretches for miles, a sea |
| known as sea or beach glass for years, but lately | | | | glass collector views it differently. Why? One main |
| collecting sea glass has become a popular pursuit | | | | reason is that a wide, sandy beach is exposed to |
| for more people than ever. | | | | a lot of shifting sands many feet thick, and what |
| But where can you find these "gems" of the sea? | | | | glass might be there gets covered and lost in the |
| Do you wonder if a beach near you or near a | | | | tons of sand. |
| planned vacation spot would be a good location to | | | | There is another important reason that a wide, |
| search for sea glass? Here are several facts | | | | sandy beach is not the best place for sea glass . |
| about beaches and the likely ones for finding | | | | In times past and even today in many places, the |
| quality sea glass. | | | | town dump was a landfill in a gully or small valley |
| | | | near the town. With time, storm waters and |
| 1. Population | | | | erosion caused the trash to make its journey |
| 2. Terrain | | | | downhill to the beach. |
| 3. Wave action | | | | On the other hand, there is little probability that |
| Let's consider the first factor - Population. | | | | refuse from trash dumps would find its way to |
| Since sea or beach glass comes from discarded | | | | the beach over flat or low-lying terrain. |
| glass objects, there must be a source, that is, a | | | | And the third factor - Waves. |
| population near the beach where this old, rounded | | | | By definition, sea glass is broken glass, or shards, |
| glass is found. Although it is true that sea glass | | | | that have been tumbled among sand/rocks on a |
| can possibly be found on remote beaches, a good | | | | shoreline by natural wave action. Without the |
| sea glass beach is almost always found near a | | | | tumbling action of the waves, a broken piece of |
| present or abandoned townsite close to an ocean | | | | glass remains just a shard and never becomes |
| or lake shore. | | | | real sea glass. |
| The most well-known beach of this type is at | | | | Look for a beach (usually the ocean but also large |
| Fort Bragg in California, where the local trash | | | | lakes are possible) where the wind has a clear |
| dump was the beach, where the garbage, | | | | path to blow across the water (fetch) of AT |
| including vehicles and appliances, was pushed over | | | | LEAST 25 miles. This is necessary to produce |
| the bluffs onto the shore. As the garbage | | | | waves that are at least knee high and have the |
| disintegrated and disappeared, what was left was | | | | power to really roll and tumble the glass shards on |
| the most durable part: Wave-washed and tumbled | | | | the beach. Logically, a longer reach of 50 miles or |
| glass. As this went on for about 50 years in | | | | more results in more powerful waves, greater |
| several locations near the town, a lot of quality | | | | tumbling action, and a much faster rate of turning |
| glass has been found there. So, look for a beach | | | | a shard into beautifully rounded and frosted glass. |
| near a town for the most likely good source of | | | | So get the map out. Check local sources. Find the |
| beach glass. | | | | history behind the beaches. Pick the right terrain. |
| Now, the second factor in a good sea glass beach | | | | Match the above factors with possible beaches. |
| - Terrain. | | | | You are on your way to finding that GREAT sea |
| Although most people would say that their idea of | | | | glass beach! |