Geologists Discover D-Day Remnants in Normandy’s Sand

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It’s been 68 years since U.S. troops landed on D-Day in Normandy, France, but the remnants of the battle that marked a turning point in World War II linger in the sand in the form of tiny pieces of fragments only visible under a microscope.

With the anniversary of the battle between arriving American and the German forces that occupied France approaching, geologists Earle McBride and Dane Picard had a surprising discovery when they took down a jar of Normandy’s sand from the shelf, McBride told science news website LiveScience in a June 5 article.

The sand from Omaha Beach was collected by the duo back in 1988 as a reference sample to help with other unrelated research, but when McBride put the long-neglected sand under a microscope, the sand was angular and metallic.

“Normal sand grains all show some degree of rounding due to collisions with their neighbors,” said McBride, professor emeritus of The University of Texas at Austin.

With further examination, McBride discovered that the angular fragments were bits of iron with red and orange rust surviving on the protected parts of the grain. He said these were most likely the remains of shrapnel, metal thrown out by explosions.

McBride said even though tiny remnants of D-Day likely still remain in the beach today, but they are disappearing because salt water is highly corrosive to iron.

The U.S. invasion of Omaha Beach was part of a larger offensive by Allied troops on June 6, 1944. Omaha Beach was the largest of five landing sites. Although the allied troops suffered from heavy casualties, they were able to establish a foothold in Normandy.

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