How can we differentiate clay and silt apart from its sizes?
averyEnlightened
How can we differentiate clay and silt apart from its sizes?
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How can we differentiate clay and silt apart from its sizes?
andrew
Silt particles are 0.05 to 0.002 mm and feel similar to flour when dry. Clay particles are extremely fine — smaller than 0.002 mm. They feel sticky in your fingers when wet and clump to the point that you can’t see an individual particle without a microscope.
aron
Silt Soil
Silt, which is known to have much smaller particles compared to sandy soil and is made up of rock and other mineral particles, which are smaller than sand and larger than clay. It is the smooth and fine quality of the soil that holds water better than sand. Silt is easily transported by moving currents and it is mainly found near the river, lake and other water bodies. The silt soil is more fertile compared to the other three types of soil. Therefore, it is also used in agricultural practices to improve soil fertility.
Clay Soil
Clay is the smallest particle amongst the other two types of soil. The particles in this soil are tightly packed together with each other with very little or no airspace. This soil has very good water storage qualities and makes it hard for moisture and air to penetrate into it. It is very sticky to the touch when wet, but smooth when dried. Clay is the densest and heaviest type of soil which does not drain well or provide space for plant roots to flourish.
Andrew Pel
Silt
Silt is a sediment material with an intermediate size between sand and clay. Carried by water during flood it forms a fertile deposit on valleys floor. The particle size of silt ranges from 0.002 and 0.06 mm.
Clay
Clay particles are the finest of all the soil particles, measuring fewer than 0.002 mm in size. It consists of microscopic and sub-microscopic particles derived from the chemical decomposition of rocks. Clay is a fine grained cohesive soil. They stick together readily and form a sticky or gluey texture when they are wet or dry.
John Wick
Clay vs silt:
The super most fine particle is called as clay which has a property to hold water.
The size of the clay particle is less than 2 Micron
The size of silt is in between to Micron to 75 Micron.
The texture of clay and silt is different. (Refer above a figure.)
When we talk about building construction then black cotton soil is not suitable because it consists of a mineral named montmorillonite which is responsible for high shrinkage and swelling property.
Silt can be easily compacted. Silt can be carried by water during flood time and it forms of fertile deposit on the surface.