Pebbles are a clast of rock about 4-64mm wide, which makes them slightly smaller than cobbles. However, both of these are often used in gardens for decorative and practical purposes.
Pebbles are rocks, distinctive for their smooth edges caused by the smoothing of ocean waves over and over again. They come in various colours that can often be associated with a certain climate or country, depending on the general rock types that predominate the area.
They are usually collected from beaches or coastlines where they form naturally from eroded rocks in the sea. However, there are also inland pebbles that were deposited by ancient seas as rocks and have been eroded and smoothed by rivers and estuaries. As river currents do not carry the same eroding power as ocean waves, inland pebbles are often not as smooth as beach pebbles.
Both these types of pebbles have been used by humans for millennia – some of the first tools were made from pebbles. Now, they are often used in