Beach sand to computer chips

One of the more interesting finds I made at the Tucson Gem Shows was from a gentleman at Gem Galore from (where else) Silicon Valley, California. And he had a fascinating story of how silicon dioxide (quartz crystals), which is the main ingredient in beach sand, is turned into the computer chips we use to surf the internet. Here is the story:

So you see, regardless of how complicated things seem to be, in reality they all start with some of the simple wonders of nature. And if you think getting to the beach is getting away from the office and all of those pesky computers....well, you're not as far away as you might think. That beach sand is only a few steps away from being your next new computer.

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