CM 3335-001

Nnamdi Madueke
1001241936
9/12/2021
Assignment 1

1. Soil: solid particles which may contain organic compounds and water formed by the

chemical and mechanical disintegration of rocks.

Rock: a material which is made up of mineral particles that have a strong bond which

require a strong force to separate.

Weathering: the breakdown of rocks due to exposure to the atmosphere.

2. Igneous rock: a rock formed when molten materials like lava solidify.

Sedimentary rock: a rock formed under water through deposition.

Metamorphic rock: a rock formed when an igneous or sedimentary rock is altered

physically or chemically by being exposed to intense heat and pressure.

3. Specific Surface Area (SSA) is defined simply as the total surface area of a material per

unit of mass, it is a property of solids. Fine soils have a higher surface area than coarse

soils because there are more particles in fine soils compared to an equal volume of coarse

soils. The larger surface area of fine soils allows them to hold more water.

4. In a water environment such as a river or ocean there is a Dense structure for single

grains. An example is beach sand.

 In absence of a water environment, there is a Loose structure for single grain particles.

An example is a dense deposit disturbed by a landslide.

A Honeycomb structure is a structure for multiple grains which is formed by the

attraction of these grains to each other to form a honeycomb shape. An example is silts.

5. Different factors may affect soil behavior such as its permeability, compressibility,

strength, and stress-strain relationship.

The behavior of sands and gravels may be determined by the size, shape, and density of

packing of the particles.

The behavior of silts and clay may be affected by the surface activity of the particles and

the interaction of the particles with water.

6. There are a lot of physical properties of soils, some examples are the grain size

distribution, soil plasticity, and indices of the soil mass e.g., void ratio, moisture content,

relative density, and dry unit weight.