Soil Texture

Soil and Site. Lindbo et al.

5/15/2012 DRAFT 1
 NDWRCDP Disclaimer
This work was supported by the National Decentralized
Water Resources Capacity Development Project
(NDWRCDP) with funding provided by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency through a Cooperative
Agreement (EPA No. CR827881-01-0) with Washington
University in St. Louis. These materials have not been
reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
These materials have been reviewed by representatives of
the NDWRCDP. The contents
of these materials do not necessarily reflect the views and
policies of the NDWRCDP, Washington University, or the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, nor does the
mention of trade names or commercial products constitute
their endorsement or recommendation for use.
 CIDWT/University Disclaimer
These materials are the collective effort of individuals from
academic, regulatory, and private sectors of the
onsite/decentralized wastewater industry. These materials have
been peer-reviewed and represent the current state of
knowledge/science in this field. They were developed through a
series of writing and review meetings with the goal of
formulating a consensus on the materials presented. These
materials do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of
North Carolina State University, and/or the Consortium of
Institutes for Decentralized Wastewater Treatment (CIDWT).
The mention of trade names or commercial products does not
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 Citation
- Stolt, M. H., Lindbo, D.L., R. Miles, D. L.
Mokma, and S. Greene. 2005. 3. Field
Description of Soils: Texture – Power
Point Presentation. in (D.L. Lindbo and N.
E. Deal eds.) Model Decentralized
Wastewater Practitioner Curriculum.
National Decentralized Water Resources
Capacity Development Project. North
Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.
 Soil Texture
 Use texture to make inferences into pore
size
 From pore size begin to estimate water
movement and treatment
 Finer texture means slower water movement
 Finer texture means greater treatment
 Textureby itself is not enough information
to determine site suitability
Other factors that combine
with texture
 Soil structure
 Organic matter and vegetation
 Soil mineralogy
 Land use
 Landscape position
 Parent material
 Soil wetness
 Soil Texture
 Mineral material only
 Material > 2mm are coarse fragments
 Material < 2mm only
 Sand - 2.0 - 0.05 mm
 Silt - 0.05 - 0.002 mm
 Clay - < 0.002 mm
Soil Texture (mineral material
only)
 Sand - gritty
 Silt - smooth, velvety
 Clay - slick, sticky
Systems for Classifying Particle
Size Distributions

 USDA System (ie. Sandy Loam)

 AASHTO: American Association of State
Highways (ie. A-1)
 Unified Engineering (ie. SM)
 Wentworth (phi #)
 USDA Particle-Size
Distribution

 Fine-earth fraction: Finer than 2 mm:

Used for Soil Textural Class
 Rock fragments: 2 mm in diameter or
larger. Particles less than 10” are many
times called “coarse fragments”. Used
to modify textural class.
USDA Textural Classes (12)
 Sand  Sandy Clay
 Loamy Sand Loam
 Sandy Loam  Silty Clay Loam

 Loam  Clay Loam

 Silt Loam  Sandy Clay

 Silt  Silty Clay

 Clay
 Examples

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5/15/2012 DRAFT 16
 Sand + Silt + Clay = 100%
40 % Sand
40 % Silt
20 % Clay
Texture = LOAM
25 % Sand
?? % Silt
45 % Clay
25 % Sand
30 % Silt
45 % Clay
25 % Sand
30 % Silt
45 % Clay
CLAY
65 % Sand
20 % Silt
?? % Clay
65 % Sand
20 % Silt
15 % Clay
65 % Sand
20 % Silt
15 % Clay
SANDY
LOAM
?? % Sand
30 % Silt
30 % Clay
40 % Sand
30 % Silt
30 % Clay
40 % Sand
30 % Silt
30 % Clay
CLAY
LOAM
 Particle-Size Distribution
 Particle size distribution describes the
abundance (by weight) of the various size
particles that constitute the mineral portion
of soil materials.
 Fine-earth fraction
 Sand - 2.0 - 0.05 mm
 Silt – 50 – 2 um
 Clay - < 2 um
 Sand Fractions
 Fraction Size
 ___________________________(mm)__
 Very coarse sand.......................2.0 to 1.0
 Coarse sand..............................1.0 to 0.5
 Medium sand..........................0.5 to 0.25
 Fine sand..............................0.25 to 0.10
 Very fine sand........................0.10 to 0.05
 Textural Groups for OSWW
 Group I:
 Sand, Loamy sand
 Group II:
 Sandy loam, Loam,
 Group III:
 Sandy clay loam, Silt loam, Clay loam, Silty
clay loam, Silt
 Group IV:
 Sandy clay, Silty clay, Clay
 Textural Groups for OSWW
 Group I:  Group III:
 Sand, Loamy sand  Sandy clay loam,

 1.2 – 0.8 gpd/ft

2 Silt loam, Clay
 Group II:
loam, Silty clay
loam, Silt
 Sandy loam, Loam
 0.6 – 0.3 gpd/ft
2
 0.8 – 0.6 gpd/ft
2
 Group IV:
 Sandy clay, Silty

clay, Clay
 0.4 –0.1 gpd/ft
2
 LOAM

40 % Sand LTAR =
40 % Silt 0.8 – 0.6 gpd/ft2
20 % Clay
 CLAY
25 % Sand
LTAR =
30 % Silt
45 % Clay 0.4 – 0.1 gpd/ft2
 SANDY LOAM
65 % Sand
LTAR =
20 % Silt
15 % Clay 0.8 – 0.6 gpd/ft2
 CLAY LOAM
40 % Sand
LTAR =
30 % Silt
30 % Clay 0.6 – 0.3 gpd/ft2
 Determining Texture

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5/15/2012 DRAFT 37
 Determination of Texture
 Fieldprocedure
 Laboratory procedure
 Hydrometer
 Pipette
 Field Determination of
Texture

Soil and Site. Lindbo et al.

5/15/2012 DRAFT 39
Field determination of texture
 Soilmust be moist, not saturated; moist
enough to mold like putty when you try to
form a ball in your hand.
 Soil Texture Class Key*
 Does soil form a ball or cast?
 No - the texture is SAND
Soil does not form a cast:
Textural class is SAND
Field determination of texture
 Can the ball be handled
 No - the texture is LOAMY SAND.
 OR
 When pressing the soil between thumb
and forefinger does the soil form a ribbon
that extends beyond your forefinger?
 No - the texture is LOAMY SAND.
Forms a cast of moist soil material.
Textural class is LOAMY SAND
The length of the ribbon will depend on
mineralogy as well as clay content

Making a ribbon
Field determination of texture
 Ifthe soil forms a ribbon that that extends
past the forefinger, note the length of the
ribbon.
 Next excessively wet a small sample in the
palm and rub with the forefinger.
Field determination of texture
 Ifthe ribbon was < 1 inch long when it
broke and the excessively wet sample
feels:
 gritty, the texture is SANDY LOAM;
 smooth, the texture is SILT LOAM;
 neither gritty nor smooth, the texture is
LOAM.
Field determination of texture
 Ifthe ribbon was between 1 and 2 inches
long when it broke and the excessively wet
sample feels:
 gritty, the texture is SANDY CLAY LOAM;
smooth,
 the texture is SILTY CLAY LOAM;
 neither gritty nor smooth, the texture is CLAY
LOAM.
Field determination of texture
 If
the ribbon > 2 inches long when it broke
and the excessively wet sample feels:
 gritty, the texture is SANDY CLAY;
 smooth, the texture is SILTY CLAY;
 neither gritty nor smooth, the texture is CLAY.
 Laboratory
Determination of
Texture

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5/15/2012 DRAFT 50
 Laboratory Determination of
Particle-Size Distribution
 Percent sand and rock fragments are
determined by a weight percent remaining
in a sieve.
 Silt and clay fractions are determined
based on how fast a particle of a given
size falls in a sedimentation column.
 Determining Percent Silt and
Clay (Hydrometer)
 Based on Stokes Law
 Uses a 100 gram sample
 Particles dispersed w/ calgon
 Measures concentration of solids in
suspension by suspension density
 Less time consuming
 Less accurate
 Determining Percent Silt and
Clay (Pipette)
 Based on Stokes Law
 Uses a 10 gram sample
 Particles dispersed w/ calgon
 Measures concentration of solids in
suspension by weight
 More time consuming
 More accurate
 Stoke’s Law
 The settling time of a particle of a given
density falling in a liquid of a given
viscosity is proportional to the square of
the particles radius.
 What does this mean? – Bigger particles
fall faster!!! and
 If we know the viscosity of the liquid and
the density of the particles we can figure
out their size.
 Stokes’ Law:

V = 2r2g(ps-pl)/(9n)

V = velocity of fall
r = particle radius
g = acceleration due to gravity
ps = particle density
pl = liquid density
n = fluid viscosity
At 20oC how long does it take a 2um particle
to fall 1 cm in a 0.5 g/l solution?
At 20oC how long does it take a 2um particle
to fall 1 cm in a 0.5 g/l solution?
8.41h/10h = .841h or 50.5 min.
1000 ml
Sedimentation
Column
Plunger for
mixing soil in
column
Pipette Setup:
Lowy Pipette
Pump
Stand
Bell Jar
Sieve
Funnel
25 ml Lowy
Pipette for silt
and clay
determination
 Is there texture beyond
just Sand, Silt and
Clay?

And so what if there is.

Soil and Site. Lindbo et al.

5/15/2012 DRAFT 72
Textures Classes with Sand-Size
Modifiers
 Coarse sand (CoS): >25% very coarse and
coarse sand
 Fine sand (FS): >50% fine sand
 Very Fine sand (VFS): >50% very fine sand
 Loamy coarse sand (LCoS): >25% very coarse
and coarse sand
 Loamy fine sand (LFS): >50% fine sand
 Loamy very fine sand (LVFS): >50% very fine
sand
Textures Classes with Sand-Size
Modifiers

 Coarse sandy loam (CoSL): >25%

very coarse and coarse sand
 Fine sandy loam (FSL): >30% fine
sand
 Very Fine sandy loam (VFSL): >30%
very fine sand
 Terms for describing rock fragments.
Rounded, subrounded, and irregular:
_____________________________________

Size (mm) Type Adjective

2 to 76...........Gravels.......gr.............gravelly
2 to 5.............Gravels......grf.......fine gravelly
5 to 20...........Gravels.....grm....med. gravelly
20 to 76.........Gravels......grc...coarse gravelly
76 to 250........Cobbles......cb...............cobbly
250 to 600......Stones.........st................stony
>600..............Boulders.....by............bouldery
Terms for describing flat rock fragments.
_____________________________________

Size (mm) Type Adjective

2 to 150.........Channers....cn............channery
150 to 380......Flagstones...fl.................flaggy
380 to 600......Stones.........st................stony
>600..............Boulders.....by............bouldery
Using Rock Fragment Modifiers
 Less than 15 percent: No adjective or modifier
terms are used.
 15 to 35 percent: The dominant kind of rock
fragment is used as an adjective ie. "gravelly
loam”.
 35 to 60 percent: An adjective term with the
word "very" is used ie. "very gravelly loam“.
 More than 60 percent: An adjective term with
the word “extremely" is used ie. "extremely
gravelly loam."
 Textural Groups for OSWW
 Group I:
 Sand, Loamy sand
 Group II:
 Sandy loam, Loam,
 Group III:
 Sandy clay loam, Silt loam, Clay loam, Silty
clay loam, Silt
 Group IV:
 Sandy clay, Silty clay, Clay
 Relating Texture
to Hydraulics

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5/15/2012 DRAFT 79
Pore
Space
Median percolation rates for 220 subsoil horizons grouped by textural class.

Textural Class cm/hr in/hr Number of

Observations
Silty Clay Loam 1.3 0.5a* 22
Silt Loam 2.3 0.9a 33
Clay Loam 2.5 1.0a 18
Silty Clay 3.3 1.3ab 9
Loam 4.1 1.6ab 71
Clay 4.3 1.7ab 16
Fine Sandy Loam 12.2 4.8b 19
Sandy Loam 14.7 5.8b 17
Loamy Coarse Sand 27.7 10.9b 5
Loamy Sand 47.2 18.6b 4
Sandy Clay Loam 48.8 19.2b 6
Coarse Sand 83.8 33.0b 2
Data taken from Matelski 1975.
*Medians with different letters are significantly different at the 0.05 level.
 Interpreting Textural
Modifiers
Rules of thumb:
 As coarse fragments (CF) increase
loading rates decrease
 As CF becomes platy loading rates
decrease
 As sands become finer loading rates
decrease
 Organic Matter
Soil and Site. Lindbo et al.
5/15/2012 DRAFT 89
 Organic Matter in Soils
 Coloring agent
 Water holding capacity
 Fertility
 Cementing agent for aggregation
 Organic matter may feel smooth (like silt)
and sticky (like clay) and therefore
interfere with your texture by feel
 Organic Matter Subdivisions
 Organic Soil Materials
 Mineral Organics
 Mineral
 Organic Matter Subdivisions
 Muck
 Mucky Mineral
 Mineral
 Organic Carbon Content
21
18 Muck
% Organic Carbon

15
12
Mucky Mineral
9
6 Mineral
3
0
0 30 60
% Clay
 Identifying Organic Material
by “Feel”
 Difficult
to do without practice
 Need to practice on samples with known
carbon contents
 Types of Soil Organic
Materials

 Sapric (Oa) – Very decomposed, <17%

rubbed fibers
 Hemic (Oe) – decomposed, 17 to 40%
rubbed fibers
 Fibric (Oi) – least decomposed, > 40%
rubbed fibers
 Types of Soil Organic
Materials

 Sapric (Oa) – Muck

 Hemic (Oe) – Mucky Peat
 Fibric (Oi) – Peat

 Mineral Organic – Mucky Sandy Loam

 Type of Organic Soil
 Muck – Highly decomposed. < 1/6 fibers
remaining after rubbing. Sapric material
 Mucky Peat – Moderately decomposed.
Between 1/6 and ¾ fibers remaining after
rubbing. Hemic material
 Peat – Slightly decomposed. > ¾ fibers
remaining after rubbing. Fibric material.
Identifying Organic Soil Type
 Rub moist sample between fingers 10
times
 Examine material with hand lens
 Look for fibers…not live roots... and
estimate percent
 Fibers are smaller than 2 cm (approx. 1”)
and show cellular structure
Knowing about texture can
keep you from getting stuck
if nothing else