 In some areas the sand may contain mostly quartz, while in others the sand may be made primarily from volcanic rock such as basalt, depending on the types of minerals along the water's path.The ironsand is typically picked up along the way from beds, veins, or inclusions of magnetite, which may originate a great distance from the sand deposits, and washed downstream or along the currents with the rest of the sand.Being heavier than the other sands, it is often deposited in areas where the water experiences a sudden change in direction or speed, such as the widening of a river or where the waves ebb and flow against the shoreline.