You can look at it, a simple loupe is enough to be able to clearly see the shape of particles. Sand particles from deserts are usually smaller and rounder, and

You can look at it, a simple loupe is enough to be able to clearly see the shape of particles. Sand particles from deserts are usually smaller and rounder, and much more uniform in size and shape. This makes the sand much more fluid. Beach sand is usually more irregular in both size and shape, giving it a more "grip". Here's a nice example of how it looks https://geology.com/stories/13/sand/ https://geology.com/stories/13/sand/