Later the dried mud was picked up by the wind. Much of it settled near the margins of the glaciers. But loess also covers much of the surface in western Kansas where it was spread around by ferocious dust storms. When silt is compacted and cemented together, it forms a rock called siltstone, which is found in eastern Kansas. Sand and Sandstone Sand particles vary in size and can easily be seen without a microscope.
Sand often contains eroded particles of rocks and minerals carried downstream by rivers and creeks.
Two minerals, quartz and feldspar, are commonly found in sand. Sand deposits are widespread in the state, especially along streams and river valleys and in old river deposits. Sand hills also cover large areas of south-central and southwest Kansas. Wind and water have shaped this sand dune near the Arkansas River in Kearny County in southwest Kansas. When sand is cemented together, it is called sandstone.