Geotechnical Engineering 1

A. Introduction to Soil Mechanics

Terminologies and Types of Soils

1. What are major soil types, differentiate and discuss

There are different types of soils and each of them have different properties. Each property can be
classified and known where should be used. There are: (1) Sandy Soil, is light, warm, and dry, with a
poor nutrient content. Because of the large proportion of sand and low proportion of clay, this soil is light.
The benefit of sandy soil is that it drains quickly and heats up quickly. Root crops, some vegetables, fruits
and flowers favor sandy soil. (2) Clay Soil, clay weighs heavier than sand, making it a heavy soil that
benefit from high nutrient levels. Clay soils remain chilly and moist during the winter. In the heat, they tend
to dry out. Clay soil is poor at draining and has few air spaces because it contains over 25% clay, and the
spaces between clay particles allow the soil to hold a lot of water. Clay soil can be difficult to work with
since it drains slowly and dries out and cracks in the summer that’s why some early vegetable crops are
difficult to grow in that. (3) Peat Soil is rare in natural gardens. Instead, it is usually supplied in order to
provide a nutrient-rich soil foundation for planting. Peat soil is a darker soil that feels wet and spongy due
to high quantities of peat. It is high in organic matter and retains a lot of moisture, making it ideal for any
landscape supply. (4) Silt Soil has a high fertility rating among the various types of soil. It holds moisture
and is usually very rich in nutrients. This soil's medium-sized particles help it drain properly while still
retaining moisture. The particles wash away in the rain, but with the addition of organic matter, they can
be bonded in more permanent clumps. (5) Chalky soil has larger grains and is often stonier than other
soils. It is free draining and typically sits on top of chalk or limestone bedrock. Since the soil is alkaline, it
might cause stunted growth and yellowing leaves. (6) Loamy Soil, Loam soil has been the most popular
for gardeners. It is a fine-textured, slightly moist mix of sand, silt, and clay that has been engineered to
minimize the detrimental consequences of each kind. Loam soil is rich, simple to deal with, and drains
well. This soil can be sandy or clay loam depending on the prevailing composition.
Most vegetable and berry crops will grow since loamy soil is one of the most fertile soil types. Loamy soil,
on the other hand, requires careful management to avoid depletion and drying out. Rotating crops,
planting green manure crops, mulching, and adding compost and organic fertilizers are all needed to
preserve soil life.

2. Define and discuss the following:

a. Colluvium b. Mud Flows c. Alluvial soil
d. Aeolian Soil e. Lacustrine soils f. Muck or Peat

a. Colluvium is an unconsolidated and unsorted sedimentary deposit composed of surface mantle on the
lower part and base of slopes moved under the influence of gravity and non-channelized flow. Such
deposits include debris and talus.

b. Mud Flow is the movement or flow of mass of water and unconsolidated earth materials downhill.
Typically a severe rainfall or extremely quick snowmelt runoff is the initiating cause. It usually occurs on
steep slopes where vegetation or forestry is ineffective in preventing rapid erosion, but it can even occur
on moderate slopes if other conditions are met. It may rush down a mountainside at rapid speed and can
cause severe damage to property and even life.

c. Alluivial soil is a fine-grained rich soil on rivers, in floodplains and deltas, stream terraces, and areas
which has been deposited and flowed by running water.

d. Aeolian soil are made up mostly of sand or silt-sized particles which have been deposited by wind.
These materials are typically highly sorted and free of coarse particles. These can be found in a variety
of environments, including coastal zones, cold and hot deserts, and agricultural areas.

e. Lacustrine soils are soils created on or from lacustrine deposits, material deposited by lake water.
These lakes include ice margin lakes and others generated by glacial erosion or deposition. Sediments
in the bedload and suspended load of meltwater streams are carried into and deposited in lakes.

f. Muck or Peat
Peats are coarse, fibrous materials, whereas mucks are fine-grained, colloidal, and degraded, and act
more like inorganic soils due to particle size and a higher percentage of mineral matter, particularly
clays. Because of high water content and high compressibility, it is undesirable for use in roads. Muck
soil is often a drained and grown peat deposit with considerable oxidation and degradation of the original
peat fibers. It can be found in swampy areas and rivers or lake bottoms. Both are semi-decomposed
organic vegetable matter generated from the death and partial decomposition of several species of
aquatic and semi-aquatic plants.