The White Sands of Tutong: A high-quality silica sand deposit from Borneo
The iconic White Sands of Tutong in Brunei Darussalam, located on the island of Borneo, have long been heralded as a potential source of glass sand. As Brunei Darussalam tries to diversify its economy, these sand deposits have come into focus as a mineral resource for sustainable development. The wh...
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Polish Academy of Sciences
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Water and Land Development |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.pan.pl/Content/134176/2025-01-JWLD-09.pdf |
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| author | Stefan Herwig Gödeke Muhammad Asri’ Akmal Hj Suhip Afiq Aiman Jaya |
| author_facet | Stefan Herwig Gödeke Muhammad Asri’ Akmal Hj Suhip Afiq Aiman Jaya |
| author_sort | Stefan Herwig Gödeke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The iconic White Sands of Tutong in Brunei Darussalam, located on the island of Borneo, have long been heralded as a potential source of glass sand. As Brunei Darussalam tries to diversify its economy, these sand deposits have come into focus as a mineral resource for sustainable development. The white glass sand deposits represent an ancient beach dune system in the Tutong district of Brunei Darussalam, where they are most extensively found. While the sand is often devoid of vegetation, it also supports a rare tropical heath forest, covering an area of around 13 km2 with an average depth of 3 m. Grain size analysis was conducted on selected samples using laser diffraction, and grain size statistical parameters were calculated using Folk and Ward method. The results show that the Tutong White Sand can be characterised as a moderately well sorted fine sand, with symmetrical graphic skewness and mesokurtic graphic kurtosis. The X-Ray Fluorescence (RFA) analysis from the samples revealed that the sand consists of >99.5 wt% SiO2, 0.05 wt% Fe2O3 and between 0.05 and 0.1 wt% TiO2. A glass melt produced from samples showed that the glass was almost clear with only a slight discolouration. Thus, it can be concluded that the White Sands of Tutong are a high-quality quartz sand deposits and, based on its purity, compare well with other international high quality quartz sands deposit. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aacdf3e2b20144f8ba5fa168c2223357 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2083-4535 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Polish Academy of Sciences |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Water and Land Development |
| spelling | doaj-art-aacdf3e2b20144f8ba5fa168c22233572025-08-20T03:44:24ZengPolish Academy of SciencesJournal of Water and Land Development2083-45352025-02-01No 647986https://doi.org/10.24425/jwld.2025.153519The White Sands of Tutong: A high-quality silica sand deposit from BorneoStefan Herwig Gödeke0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9678-6201Muhammad Asri’ Akmal Hj Suhip1https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1221-4304Afiq Aiman Jaya2https://orcid.org/0009-0009-0216-7764Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Geoscience Programme, Faculty of Science, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei DarussalamGeology Research Unit, Department of Technical Services, Public Works Department,Jalan Lapangan Terbang Lama, Berakas, BB3510, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei DarussalamGeology Research Unit, Department of Technical Services, Public Works Department,Jalan Lapangan Terbang Lama, Berakas, BB3510, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei DarussalamThe iconic White Sands of Tutong in Brunei Darussalam, located on the island of Borneo, have long been heralded as a potential source of glass sand. As Brunei Darussalam tries to diversify its economy, these sand deposits have come into focus as a mineral resource for sustainable development. The white glass sand deposits represent an ancient beach dune system in the Tutong district of Brunei Darussalam, where they are most extensively found. While the sand is often devoid of vegetation, it also supports a rare tropical heath forest, covering an area of around 13 km2 with an average depth of 3 m. Grain size analysis was conducted on selected samples using laser diffraction, and grain size statistical parameters were calculated using Folk and Ward method. The results show that the Tutong White Sand can be characterised as a moderately well sorted fine sand, with symmetrical graphic skewness and mesokurtic graphic kurtosis. The X-Ray Fluorescence (RFA) analysis from the samples revealed that the sand consists of >99.5 wt% SiO2, 0.05 wt% Fe2O3 and between 0.05 and 0.1 wt% TiO2. A glass melt produced from samples showed that the glass was almost clear with only a slight discolouration. Thus, it can be concluded that the White Sands of Tutong are a high-quality quartz sand deposits and, based on its purity, compare well with other international high quality quartz sands deposit.https://journals.pan.pl/Content/134176/2025-01-JWLD-09.pdfbruneiglass melthigh purity quartzsand miningsilica sandsoutheast asia |
| spellingShingle | Stefan Herwig Gödeke Muhammad Asri’ Akmal Hj Suhip Afiq Aiman Jaya The White Sands of Tutong: A high-quality silica sand deposit from Borneo Journal of Water and Land Development brunei glass melt high purity quartz sand mining silica sand southeast asia |
| title | The White Sands of Tutong: A high-quality silica sand deposit from Borneo |
| title_full | The White Sands of Tutong: A high-quality silica sand deposit from Borneo |
| title_fullStr | The White Sands of Tutong: A high-quality silica sand deposit from Borneo |
| title_full_unstemmed | The White Sands of Tutong: A high-quality silica sand deposit from Borneo |
| title_short | The White Sands of Tutong: A high-quality silica sand deposit from Borneo |
| title_sort | white sands of tutong a high quality silica sand deposit from borneo |
| topic | brunei glass melt high purity quartz sand mining silica sand southeast asia |
| url | https://journals.pan.pl/Content/134176/2025-01-JWLD-09.pdf |
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