page_title: Sand mining
section_title: China
hierarchical_section_title: Sand mining / By country / China
caption_attribution_description: English: A sand mining operation on the right bank of the Red River, near Danan Village (Jinping County). Seen from the left bank, in Lianhuatan Township (Hekou County, Yunnan), between Manhao highway exit and Lianhuatan township center. 中文: 云南省河口县莲花滩乡:蔓耗高速出口至莲花滩乡中心
context_page_description: Sand mining is the extraction of sand, mainly through an open pit but sometimes mined from beaches and inland dunes or dredged from ocean and river beds. Sand is often used in manufacturing, for example as an abrasive or in concrete. It is also used on icy and snowy roads usually mixed with salt, to lower the melting point temperature, on the road surface. Sand can replace eroded coastline. Some uses require higher purity than others; for example sand used in concrete must be free of seashell fragments.
  Sand mining presents opportunities to extract rutile, ilmenite and zircon, which contain the industrially useful elements titanium and zirconium. These minerals typically are found in ordinary sand deposits and are separated by water elutriation.
  Sand mining is a direct cause of erosion, and impacts the local wildlife. Various animals depend on sandy beaches for nesting clutches, and mining has led to the near extinction of gharials in India. Disturbance of underwater and coastal sand causes turbidity in the water, which is harmful for organisms like coral that need sunlight. It can also destroy fisheries, financially harming their operators.
context_section_description: Much sand is extracted by dredges from the bottom of rivers such as the Red River in Yunnan, or quarried in dry river beds. Due to the large demand for sand for construction, illicit sand mining is not uncommon.
caption: A sand mining operation in the Red River, in Jinping County, Yunnan
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