Field Soil Description ASTM 2487 - 2488

COLOUR
Color varies widely in earth materials but often provides a useful means of identification for
geologic and engineering purposes. The presence of organic matter,certain minerals, and some
types of weathering can often be readily detected by color.
ANGULARITY
Angularity is a descriptor for coarse-grained materials only. The angularity of the sand (coarse
sizes only), gravel, cobbles, and boulders, are described as angular, subangular, subrounded, or
rounded .A range of angularity may be stated, such as: sub-rounded to rounded

S
 DESCRIPTION CRITERIA

Angular Particles have sharp edges and relatively plane

side with unpolished surfaces

Sub angular Particles are similar to angular, but have

rounded edges

Sub rounded Particles have nearly plane sides but have well
rounded corners and edges

Rounded Particles have smoothly curved sides no edges

PARTICLE GRADATION SCALE AND SHAPE

For gravel and sand-size components, describe the range of particle sizes within each component
as defined in the previous terminology paragraph. Descriptive terms, sizes, and examples of
particle sizes are shown in. Describe the maximum particle size found in the sample. For reporting
maximum particle size, use the following descriptors and size increments:
For example: "maximum particle size 35 mm"
"maximum particle size 400 mm"
If the maximum particle size is sand size, describe as fine, medium, or coarse sand; for example,
maximum particle size, medium sand. If the maximum particle size is gravel size, describe the
maximum particle size as the smallest sieve opening that the particle would pass. If the maximum
particle size is cobble or boulder size, describe the maximum dimension of the largest particle.
SHAPE
The particle shape shall be described as follows where length, width, and thickness refer to the
greatest, intermediate, and least dimensions of a particle, respectively.

Flat Particles with width/thickness > 3

Elongated Particles with length/width > 3
Flat and elongated Particles meet criteria for both flat and
elongated

ODOR
Describe the odor if organic or unusual. Soils containing a significant amount of organic material
usually have a distinctive odor of decaying vegetation. This is especially apparent in fresh
samples, but if the samples are dried, the odor often may be revived by heating a moistened
sample. If the odor is unusual, such as that of a petroleum product or other chemical, the
material should be described and identified if known. The material may be hazardous, and
combustion or exposure should be considered.
MOISTURE CONTENT
The moisture content is the ratio of the weight of water contained in the soil to the dry weight
of the soil solids. A certain compaction density may be specified, and the moisture content at the
time of compaction is critical.

DESCRIPTION CONDITION

Dry No sign of water and soil dry to touch

Moist Signs of water and soil is relatively dry to touch

Wet Signs of water and soil definitely wet to touch;

granular soil exhibit
HCL REACTION
Calcium carbonate is a common cementing agent. The reaction with dilute hydrochloric acid is
important in determining the presence and abundance of calcium carbonate.

DESCRIPTION CRITERIA

None No visible reaction

Weak Some reaction with bubbles forming slowly

Strong Violent reaction, with bubbles forming

immediately

CEMENTATION
Describe the cementation of intact soils as weak, moderate, or strong,

DESCRIPTION CRITERIA

Weak Crumbles or breaks with handling or little

finger pressure

Moderate Crumbles or breaks with considerable finger

pressure

Strong Will not crumble or break with finger

pressure
CONSISTENCY
With increasing water content, a solid clay mass changes consistency and passes from a solid
state, through a semisolid and plastic state, to a liquid state. The moisture contents, expressed
in percent of dry weight,at which the mass passes from one of these stages of consistency to
another are known as the Atterberg limits or limits of consistency

COHESIVE SOIL (SILT AND CLAY)

Unconfined
SPT Pocket compressive
DESCRIPTION CRITERIA
(N=blows/ft) penetrometer Strength (UCS)
(MPa)

Very soft <2 <0.25 <0.04 Thumb will penetrate

soil more than 1 in
(25mm)

Soft 2 to 4 0.25 to 0.50 0.04 to 0.08 Thumb will penetrate

soil about 1 in (25mm)

Medium stiff 4 to 8 0.50 to 1.0 0.08 to 0.15 Thumb will indent soil
about ¼ in (6mm)

Stiff 8 to 15 1.0 to 2.0 0.15 to 0.30 Penetrated only with

great effort

Very stiff 15 to 30 2.0 to 4.0 0.30 to 0.62 Thumb will not indent
soil but readily
indented with
thumbnail

Hard >30 >4.0 >0.62 Indented with difficulty

by thumbnail
NON COHESIVE

SPT
TERM RELATIVE DENSITY (%) TACTILE TEST
(N=blows/ft)

Very loose VL <15% Ravelling

Loose L 15-35 Easy shoveling

Medium dense MD 35-65 Hard shoveling

Dense D 65-85 Picking

Very dense VD >85 Hard Picking

STRUCTURE
The descriptors presented are for soils only; they are not synonymous with descriptors for rock.

TERM DESCRIPTION

The total lack of visible bedding and the same

Homogeneus
colour and appearance throughout

Bedding The presence of layer

Breaks along definite planes of fracture with

Fissured
little resistance to fracturing

Polished Fracture planes are polished or glossy

Slickensided Fracture planes are striated

Cohesive soil that can be broken down into

Blocky small angular lumps which resist further
breakdown
 lensoidal Discontinuous pockets of a soil within
different soil mass

DRY STRENGTH
After removing particles > No. 40 sieve size, mold a pat of soil to the consistency of putty, adding
water if necessary. Allow the pat to dry completely by oven, sun, or air drying, and then test its
strength by breaking and crumbling between the fingers. This strength is a measure of the
character and quantity of the colloidal fraction contained in the soil. The dry strength increases
with increasing plasticity.

DESCRIPTION CRITERIA

None The dry specimen crumbles into powder with

mere pressure of handling

Low The dry specimen crumbles into powder with

some finger pressure

Medium The dry specimen breaks into pieces or

crumbles with considerable finger pressure

High The dry specimen cannot be broken with

finger pressure

Very high The dry specimen cannot be broken between

the thumn and a hard surface
DILATANCY (Reaction to shaking)
After removing particles > No. 40 sieve size, prepare a pat of moist soil with a volume of about
0.5 in 3 Add enough water, if necessary, to make the soil soft but not sticky. Place the pat in the
open palm of one hand and shake horizontally, striking vigorously against the other hand several
times. A positive reaction is the appearance of water on the surface of the pat, which changes to
a livery consistency and becomes glossy. When the sample is squeezed between the fingers, the
water and gloss disappear from the surface, the pat stiffens, and it finally cracks or crumbles. The
rapidity of appearance of water during shaking and of its disappearance during squeezing assist
in identifying the character of the fines in a soil. Very fine clean sands give the quickest and most
distinct reaction, whereas a plastic clay has no reaction. Inorganic silts, such as rock flour, show
a moderately quick reaction.

DESCRIPTION CRITERIA

None No visible change in the specimen

Slow Water appears slowly on the surface of the

specimen during shaking and does not
disappears slowly upon squeezing

Rapid Water appears quickly on the surface of the

specimen during shaking and disappears
quickly upon squeezing
TOUGHNESS
Following the completion of the dilatancy test, the test specimen is shaped into an elongated pat
and rolled by hand on a smooth surface or between the palms into a thread about 1⁄8 in. (3 mm)
in diameter. (If the sample is too wet to roll easily, it should be spread into a thin layer and
allowed to lose some water by evaporation.) Fold the sample threads and reroll repeatedly until
the thread crumbles at a diameter of about 1⁄8 in. The thread will crumble at a diameter of 1⁄8
in. when the soil is near the plastic limit. Note the pressure required to roll the thread near the
plastic limit. Also, note the strength of the thread. After the thread crumbles, the pieces should
be lumped together and kneaded until the lump crumbles. Note the toughness of the material
during kneading.
Description Criteria
Only slight pressure is required to roll the
Low thread near the plastic limit. The thread and
the lump are weak and soft
Medium pressure is required to roll the thread
Medium to near the plastic limit. The thread and the
lump have medium stiffness
Considerable pressure is required to roll the
High thread to near the plastic limit. The thread and
the lump have very high stiffness
PLASTICITY

Description CRITERIA

Non plastic A 3mm thread cannot be rolled at any water content

The thread can barely be rolled and the lump cannot

Low
be formed when drier than plastic limit

The thread is easy to roll and not much time is

required to reach the plastic limit. The thread cannot
Medium
be rerolled after reaching the plastic limit. The lump
crumbles when drier than the plastic limit

It takes considerable time rolling and kneading to

reach the plastic limit. The thread can be rerolled
High several times after reaching the plastic limit. The lump
can be formed without crumbling when drier than the
plastic limit
Identification of Organic Fine-Grained Soils

If the soil contains enough organic particles to influence the soil properties, classify the soil as an
organic soil, OL or OH. Organic soils usually are dark brown to black and usually have an organic
odor. Often organic soils will change color, (black to brown) when exposed to air. Organic soils
normally do not have high toughness or plasticity. The thread for the toughness test is spongy.
In some cases, further identification of organic soils as organic silts or organic clays, OL or OH is
possible. Correlations between the dilatancy, dry strength, and toughness tests with laboratory
tests can be made to classify organic soils in similar materials.

TERM DESCRIPTION

Surficial soil layer that may contain living

Topsoil
matter

Contain finely devided organic matter, may

Organic clay, silt or sand
have distinctive smell

Consist predominantly of plant remains, firm:

fibres already compressed together, Spongy:
Very compressible and open structure,
Peat
Plastic: Can be moulded in hand and smears
in fingers, Fibrous: plant remains recognisable
and retain some strength

Fine, partly decomposed roots, normally

Roolets found in the upper part of a soil profile or in a
redeposited soil

Carbonaceous Discrete particles or hardened plant material