If you ever take your kids to the beach...
- Redwolf
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If you ever take your kids to the beach...
...please, please...warn them about the dangers of sand dunes:
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_10711266
The little boy who was killed is the grandson of a teacher at my daughter's school. This is a small community, and a popular family beach (heck...I walk near here nearly every morning), and we're all in shock...but nothing compared to what this family is going through.
We've known about the dangers of collapsing sand bridges and caves for years, and have always warned our daughter to avoid them when playing around the dunes. Please...if you ever take your kids to the beach, make sure they understand that waves and rip tides aren't the only dangers.
Redwolf
http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/localnews/ci_10711266
The little boy who was killed is the grandson of a teacher at my daughter's school. This is a small community, and a popular family beach (heck...I walk near here nearly every morning), and we're all in shock...but nothing compared to what this family is going through.
We've known about the dangers of collapsing sand bridges and caves for years, and have always warned our daughter to avoid them when playing around the dunes. Please...if you ever take your kids to the beach, make sure they understand that waves and rip tides aren't the only dangers.
Redwolf
...agus déanfaidh mé do mholadh ar an gcruit a Dhia, a Dhia liom!
- emmline
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Yup.
Our personal case in point occurred a few years ago as we (us + extended family) were eating sandwiches across the street from the main Cape Hatteras beach and emergency vehicles began streaking in by beach and road.
A 20 yo guy had dug himself a box-shaped pit in the beach, and was sitting in it, in a beach chair, when the walls collapsed. They were not able to dig him out quickly enough. Sand is much heavier than people imagine when they're goofing around with it. That guy made it into the Darwin Awards.
Our personal case in point occurred a few years ago as we (us + extended family) were eating sandwiches across the street from the main Cape Hatteras beach and emergency vehicles began streaking in by beach and road.
A 20 yo guy had dug himself a box-shaped pit in the beach, and was sitting in it, in a beach chair, when the walls collapsed. They were not able to dig him out quickly enough. Sand is much heavier than people imagine when they're goofing around with it. That guy made it into the Darwin Awards.
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- aderyn_du
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Hi Jack,Jack wrote:As an inlander, I'm not really sure what sand dunes are. In the picture accompanying the article, what exactly are we looking at? I'm trying to figure out what collapsed...
In the photo, the area is slightly raised and is covered with green vegetation (ice plants).
Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together. ~Anais Nin
Ice plants are likely part of the problem too.aderyn_du wrote:Hi Jack,Jack wrote:As an inlander, I'm not really sure what sand dunes are. In the picture accompanying the article, what exactly are we looking at? I'm trying to figure out what collapsed...
In the photo, the area is slightly raised and is covered with green vegetation (ice plants).
- Innocent Bystander
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- Redwolf
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Er...they have sand dunes inland too.Jack wrote:As an inlander, I'm not really sure what sand dunes are. In the picture accompanying the article, what exactly are we looking at? I'm trying to figure out what collapsed...
The caption tells you exactly what to look for. There's a cave in the dune directly under the little ranger booth at the top of the bluff. At this point, authorities don't know if it was natural or if someone (maybe even the kids themselves, as they lived nearby) dug it over a period of weeks. In any case, they were digging there a couple of days ago when the cave collapsed.
While iceplant is an introduced and invasive species (I hate it!), dunes covered with native grass will collapse as well when they're undermined like that.
Redwolf
...agus déanfaidh mé do mholadh ar an gcruit a Dhia, a Dhia liom!
The ice plants interfere with the movement of the dunes, they stabilize the sand, but it is deceptive stabilization. The native vegetation allows dune movement, it would have been much more difficult to dig a cave in such sand as it would have been a loser substrate.Redwolf wrote:Er...they have sand dunes inland too.Jack wrote:As an inlander, I'm not really sure what sand dunes are. In the picture accompanying the article, what exactly are we looking at? I'm trying to figure out what collapsed...
The caption tells you exactly what to look for. There's a cave in the dune directly under the little ranger booth at the top of the bluff. At this point, authorities don't know if it was natural or if someone (maybe even the kids themselves, as they lived nearby) dug it over a period of weeks. In any case, they were digging there a couple of days ago when the cave collapsed.
While iceplant is an introduced and invasive species (I hate it!), dunes covered with native grass will collapse as well when they're undermined like that.
Redwolf