Question

If you are given samples of (i) Sandy soil, (ii) Clay, (iii) Silt, (iv) Loamy Soil, and (v) humus, how would you differentiate between them? [5 MARKS]

Answer 1

Each point: 1 Mark

(i) If particles are larger in size and cannot fit close together and have space between them, then it is sandy soil.

(ii) We know that clay can be differentiated by looking at the size of particles because they would be less than 0.075 mm in size. When water is added to a sample of soil and it turns into a sticky mass and shows great variation in volume and shows considerable strength when dried, then the soil must be clay.

(iii) If the soil sample has particulate matter larger than the previous sample and exhibits slightly plastic or a non-plastic behaviour, then the soil must be silt.

(iv) If the soil sample has even proportions of sand, silt and clay, it has to be loamy soil.

(v) If the soil is dark in colour and has dead and decaying matter, it must be humus.