How far down does the sand on a beach generally go and what's under it?

Question

How far down does the sand on a beach generally go and what's under it?

Answer 1

Didn't you know?  Underneath all the sand is a giant picnic basket.  Know what's inside the giant picnic basket?

Sandwiches!

Just kidding, but seriously, I think Bobby's answer is right.

Answer 2

Hi Perki

I think the most useful answer to such an open question would refer to the fact that there are erosional coast areas and depositional ones - so some areas end up with chunks of rock being removed, others end up with gravel, silt or sand being deposited.  

If currents change an erosional area can become depositional and vice versa - implying the sand or gravel can be removed and redistributed, which can also happen in the case of storms.  

All this implies that the depth will vary and that it can change in quite short periods of time.  So I'd suggest this is a 'how long's a piece of string question' and one where an average is likely to be misleading as the variation could be wide?

As for what is underneath the sand, eventually you will get rock, but above that you may get mud or gravel - again it would depend on the geology of the particular area I guess... like asking how high are hills and mountains.

Answer 3

I don't think any two beaches would be the same Perki.  However in England, most of the beaches i saw were just stones.. eeeek.  

Answer 4

It varies from several feet to quite a few feet.   Under the sand is usually solid rock or gravel.