Sometimes called “the new gold,” sand is the second most exploited natural resource in the world after fresh water. Katherine Gammon covered this topic in her November 8, 2023 article for Nautilus, "Sand Mafias Battle for the New Gold." She shares what she uncovered.
Is sand the new gold?
![The Tassili n'Ajjer desert, National Park, considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, part of the Saharan Atlas with the sand dunes of Erg d’Admer and Erg Tihoidaine passing through the Hoggar region. Algeria, Africa](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/be347c3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4363x2881+0+0/resize/880x581!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F90%2F9b%2Fbbe503c248a59e4c02b3f1e57f4f%2Fsand.jpg)
Roberto Nencini