3 days ago
BYU geologist studies shrapnel remains from WWII buried in the sands of Normandy
NORMANDY, France () — A team of geologists excavated the beaches of Normandy searching for shrapnel left from one of the bloodiest battles in modern history.
In June of 2024, BYU geology professor Sam Hudson led a team of four geologists on an excavation of each of the five landing sites along the Normandy coastline. The team's goal was to study the changes in the beaches over time.
'It's really important to see how long man-made materials like shrapnel remain in a natural setting,' Hudson said.
According to a BYU press release, debris during wartime can play a large role in geological research and help researchers track and measure geological change.
Researchers are using the shrapnel as a way to study coastal processes, including how much sediment has been built up since the war. 'Understanding the rate of change in natural systems is a big deal, and it's something that's usually really hard to measure,' Hudson said.
World War II pilot from Bountiful accounted for nearly 80 years after death on warfront
The team was comprised of geologists from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Just last month, Hudson returned to Normandy along with six students to collect more samples.
'It's been a really exciting opportunity to show this intersection of geology and history to the world,' said Liv Tatum, a student at BYU.
Hudson said the project has been an opportunity for him to honor his grandfather, who served in the Pacific Theater during WWII.
Hudson will be speaking at the International Conference on Military Geosciences at West Point next year.
President Trump meets with German chancellor
BYU geologist studies shrapnel remains from WWII buried in the sands of Normandy
Trump says Egypt excluded from travel ban because 'they have things under control'
Trump 'disappointed' by Musk criticism of 'big, beautiful bill'
Thousands affected by downtown Salt Lake City power outage
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
