How old is this sea glass?

In this video, I further discuss the process of hydration, and specifically address the general length of time that sea glass needs to spend in the ocean before a shard of glass becomes 'conditioned' or 'hydrated'.

Scholarship teaches us that glass will spend an average of a generation in waters where the Ph content is above 7 before it will transition from a structure that is sharp into a structure that is not sharp. This can be attributed to more of a physical happenstance than it can be to the chemical process of hydration, but hydration is no doubt occurring from the moment that glass hits the water.

It should also be noted that the time quotient of the physical transformation of glass will also vary greatly depending on whether or not the coastline is sandy or rocky, and its waters calm or turbulent. For example, glass that goes into the water off the rocky English coastline along the North Sea will experience more of a physical transformation, and much quicker, than a piece of glass that goes into the water on the sandy coast of the Atlantic Ocean along the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

Hope you enjoy this week's video, and remember, when you visit the beach please try not to leave anything but your footprints!