Classification OF SOIL

Classification OF SOIL BASED ON TEXTURE PARTICLE SIZE LOCATION COLOR COUNSTRUCTION

Texture

TEXTURES

CLAY
Clay soil is another kind of soil that occurs naturally. Its composition consists of extremely fine grained material, which makes this soil very difficult one to work with as the drainage in the soil is very low.

CLAY
The cultivation of clay soil is best done when it is wet because then it gets heavy and some fertilizers have to be added into them.

CLAY
There is always a very good chance of water logging and the roots of the plants to be damaged.

SAMPLES OF CLAY SOIL

CHALKY
Chalky soil is another kind of soil. It is very different from the peaty soil both in composition and characteristics. Chalky soil consists of large number of stones and is alkaline in nature.

CHALKY
This sort of soil is very much prone to dryness, which makes it a very bad choice for plantation during summer, because it requires far greater amount of fertilization and watering as compared to other types of soils. Besides being dry it also blocks nutrients from reaching the plants.

SAMPLES OF CHALKY SOIL

LOAMY
Loamy soil is a mixture of sand, silt and clay. Even though this soil retains water but still drainage is well which is one of the reasons why it is thought of as a perfect soil.

LOAMY
This soil ranges from muddy to fertile soil. Among all the types of soils Loamy soil is thought of as an ideal soil to do cultivation.

SAMPLES OF LOAMY SOIL

SANDY
The drainage system highly depends on the size of the particles in the soil as it determines the amount of drainage that the soil allows. Sandy soil consists of biggest particles as compared to other types of soil and hence it provides a better drainage.

SANDY
It is granular and its formation consists of small rock and mineral particles. Sandy soil is mainly formed due to the transportation and weathering of rocks like quartz, limestone and granite. It is comparatively easier to cultivate than other kind of soils but its flaw is that it supplies more drainage than needed.

SAMPLES OF SANDY SOIL

SILTY
Silty soil is one of the finest and most fertile soils. Its composition consists of materials like Quartz and other organic materials

SILTY
smoother than sandy soil because of its smaller particles. When silty soil is rolled between ones finger it will leave behind dirt. When it is wet it will create a slippery surface. Silt, unlike sand, drains water poorly as it tends to retain moisture.

SILTY
Using a lot of silt in the garden will require a lot of maintenance as this soil type will tend to compact easily. This will prevent proper aeration which will be harmful to ones plants.

SAMPLES OF SILTY SOIL

PEATY
Peaty soil is basically formed from the dead and decayed organic matter. The amount of organic matter contained in it is far more than the amount of organic matter present in other types of soil.

PEATY
This kind of soil is mostly formed in wet climate and is found in marshy places. The soil contains very less nutrients as compared to the amount of nutrients present in other types of soil though it does have more organic material present in its composition than other types of soils.

PEATY
Peaty soil is favorable to water logging but if the drainage system is well looked after it is ideal for growing plants.

SAMPLES OF PEATY SOIL

PARTICLE SIZE

SAND
particles can be seen by the naked eye and are the largest of the three size classes of soil particles.

SILT
particles are smaller than sand particles and can only be seen with a microscope

CLAY
the smallest of the three size classes of soil particles and can only be seen with an electron microscope.

LOCATION

FOREST
Forests give rise to a number of different soil types, such as alfisols, ultisols and spodosols. Spodosols are particularly found under coniferous trees like pines. Rain forests give rise to oxisols. Found in the forest

RIVERS AND MOUNTAINS

Riverbanks, flood plains and deltas tend to form entisols and inceptisols. These types of soil are also found on steep mountain slopes. Higher regions of mountains also form gelisols, which form anywhere permafrost does. Gelisols are mostly found in the Arctic regions.

GRASSLANDS
Grasslands tend to give rise to mollisols and vertisols. Vertisols will also form anywhere that has tropical conditions with wet/dry weather cycles.

OTHER LOCATIONS
Swamps and bogs, or the locations of former swamps and bogs, form the peaty histosols. Andisols form around volcanoes. Aridisols are created in dry climates.

COLOR

BLACK
Black soil is generally associated with the top layer of soil (O horizon).

BLACK
The soil in this area is black because it consists of partially or fully decayed organic matter, such as leaves, plants and animals that have decomposed.

BLACK
Humus, which makes up part of O horizon is perfectly black and smooth where all organic matter has completely broken down. Black particles found in soil may also provide clues that there are traces of manganese, iron sulphide and pyrite

BROWN
Clay soil types are generally brown.

BROWN
Clay may be found in B horizon, the third level soil level, although some soils have more clay than others and thus it may be found closer to the surface.

BROWN
Mineral tracings of goethite and gypsum may reveal dark and light brown colors respectively.

RED & YELLOW

Red and yellow tones in soil indicate the presence of iron, but the iron must be in oxidized forms. The oxidized minerals of hematite, lepidocrocite and ferrihydrite are red. If hematite deposits have large grains, they appear almost purple. If soils are well aerated, the iron oxidized forms goethite and jarosite develop and create a yellow hue.

WHITE
Michigan's Department of Agriculture explains that the E horizon, the level below the O horizon, is a whitish-color because it is composed mainly of sand and sediment.

WHITE
Traces of calcium based minerals, such as calcite, gypsum and dolomite, also present a white or gray hue. These minerals go hand in hand with an arid, coarse soil type.

CONSTRUCTION

COHESIVE
Comprised of silt and clay, this soil type, without proper assessment and alteration may prove a real problem as a foundation due to its tendency to shrink and swell. Careful drainage methods must be considered, because clay's dense, tightly bound nature is impenetrable by water when compacted..

GRANULAR
Including soils with high sand and/or gravel content, granular soils are generally suitable for building, considering that they are still penetrable by water upon compaction. The installation of a containment wall may be necessary to prevent shifting. Particle size is important in the consideration of granular soils. Consult your local geological survey experts before building.

ORGANIC
Including marshy soils and soils high in peat content and decaying vegetable matter, organic soils are generally not recommended for building a foundation on. Organic soils tend to absorb and hold excessive moisture and exhibit sponge-like consistency. For this reason, geological surveys will generally steer you clear of building on such a site.

RELATION TO CIVIL ENGINEERING

Soil plays an essential role to civil engineers because soil is the place where you place your foundations for your project whether horizontal or vertical

RELATION TO CIVIL ENGINEERING

Civil engineers must know the types of the soil so that they can analyze on how they can design a certain structure that can withstand the certain soil

RELATION TO CIVIL ENGINEERING

Civil engineers must also know the types of the soil so that they will use as pavements for the roads and the loads it can carry

REFRENCES
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/differenttypes-of-soil.html http://www.google.com.ph http://www.murraystate.edu/headermenu/off ices/esh/OccupationalSafetyHealth/Trenching Shoring/SoilTypes.aspx http://www.ehow.com.html