1.3.3 Soil Description and Identification
‘Common descriptive terms and methods of identification of soils are as follows:
Color: Color is not directly related to engineering properties of soils, but is related to the soil
mineralogy and texture.
Gray and bluish: unoxidized soils
White and cream: calcareous soi
Red and yellow: oxidized soil
Black and dark brown: soil containing organic matter
Moisture: Appearance due to water is described as wet, dry, and moist.
Structure:
Homogeneous: Color and texture feel the same throughout
Nonhomogeneous: Color and texture vary.
Shape: Angular, subangular, subrounded, rounded, flaky
Weathering: Fresh, decomposed, weathered.
Carbonate: Effervesces with acid. Add a small amount of hydrochloric acid and cheek if soil
effervesces. If it does, it contains carbonate.
Odor: Organic soils give off a strong odor that intensifies with hea
odor with the addition of water.
Feel: Use feel to distinguish between sand,
Sand has a gritty feel.
. Nonorganie soils have a subtle
s, and clays.
Silt has a rough feel similar to fine sandpaper.
Clay feels smooth and greasy. It sticks to fingers and is powdery when dry
Consistency:
Very stiff: Finger pressure barely dents soil but cracks under significant pressure.
Stiff: Finger pressure dents soil
Firm: Soil can be molded using strong finger pressure.
Soft: Easily molded by finger.
is closed,
Dilatancy: Place asmall amount of the soil in your palm and shake horizontally. Then strike it with the
other hand. If the surface is slurry and water appears, the soil probably has a large amount of silt
Packing: Coarse-grained soils are described as:
Very loose: collapses with slight disturbance, open structure
Very soft: Soil flows between fingers when fis
Loose: collapses upon disturbance, open structure
Medium dense: indents when pushed firmly
Dense: barely deforms when pushed by feet or with stomping
Very dense: impossible to depress with stomping
The key points are:
1. There are many soil types that you need to distinguish.
2. Common descriptive terms have evolved to get a quick, qualitative estimate on the oils’ strength
and deformation properties and variability.