Flanked by research colleagues, ConocoPhillips Senior Geologist Dallin Laycock scooped up a handful of sand from Sword Beach and sprinkled the granules over a magnet.

“I heard the unmistakable sound of metal hitting the magnet,” Laycock said. “We looked at it under the microscope and clearly saw an oxidized piece of metal. The very first handful of sand I’d picked up had shrapnel in it.”

Like tiny time capsules, the metal fragments are microscopic evidence of the fighting that took place during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944. These granular war relics are the focus of an undergraduate research project led by BYU Geology Professor Sam Hudson.

Supporting STEM education

Collaborating with Hudson as volunteers and geological detectives, Laycock and his colleague ConocoPhillips Staff Geologist Erin Pemberton have been lending their time and expertise to help with the educational project, along with Glen Burridge, a U.K. geologist and war history expert.

“Dallin and I are strong supporters of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education,” Pemberton said. “In addition to lending our support to college students, helping with this research project is our way of contributing to the geologic knowledge of this pivotal historical moment. It’s also about honoring the Allied soldiers who took part in the invasion.”

Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the four geologists spent June 5-8 in Normandy, France, collecting sand samples from each of the five beaches the Allies stormed: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

The team’s shrapnel project — a mix of geology, history and archeology — was inspired by a 2011 project by geologists Earle McBride and Dane Picard that focused on analyzing shrapnel remnants found on Omaha Beach.

“We wanted to collect new samples on the 80th anniversary of this battle,” Laycock said. “Is shrapnel from the fighting still present on the Normandy beaches? Or has it completely washed away? That’s what we came to find out.”

'Remarkably like Normandy’ - Brancaster Beach in the U.K.

After spending four days shrapnel hunting on the Normandy beaches, the geologists wrapped up their field trip with a visit to Brancaster Beach in the U.K., gathering sand samples so they could compare the sand on this beach to the sand found on the Normandy beaches. 

Brancaster Beach was used by the Allies to test heavy vehicles before the D-Day landings. The goal was to ensure these vehicles wouldn’t get bogged down on the Normandy beaches, a lesson learned from the failed 1942 Dieppe Raid in northern France, a disastrous amphibious assault that left thousands of Allied troops dead and wounded.

“The military geologists did an amazing job identifying this analog beach,” Laycock said. “It’s remarkably like Normandy. I’m curious to see how the lab analysis of the sand goes, and just how similar it is.”

Preserving history, delivering insight 

Back in the U.S., Hudson and his BYU undergraduate and graduate students have started analyzing the 300 sand samples using a variety of techniques to confirm how much of the magnetic pieces are shrapnel.

“We are analyzing the sand samples at this stage through particle size analysis,” Hudson said. “Samples were taken along surface transects and through coring to understand how sediment, both shrapnel and sand, is distributed along the beaches of Normandy. This tells us about how ocean waves and tides redistribute sand along this part of the French coast and helps us to understand the dynamics of a complex coastal system like this. The shrapnel is a fantastic tracer of these processes. We know, almost to the day, when some of this material was placed on the beach. If we can understand where it is now (both spatially and at depth), we can better understand how beaches redistribute sediment over time. The shrapnel acts as a fantastic tracer for understanding coastal erosion and deposition.”

The research results will be published in peer-reviewed international journals.

For Hudson, this project has provided a unique opportunity, enabling him to pursue his passion for geologic research and honor his grandfather, who served in the Pacific during World War II.

“This has been a great way for me to feel closer to him and to better appreciate the sacrifices made by so many,” Hudson said.  

By identifying and differentiating between shrapnel and naturally occurring magnetic minerals in the sand, Laycock said researchers maybe can map out the intensity and spread of the battle, providing a clearer picture of where the heaviest fighting occurred.

And by documenting and analyzing their geological findings, Laycock said they are helping preserve the history of D-Day for future generations, creating a more detailed and accurate picture of the events that took place during the invasion. 

“We believe our geological research will deepen humanity’s understanding of D-Day,” Laycock said. “This is about using science to tell a more comprehensive story. We hope our work inspires a deeper interest in both geology and history.”