1.0 Field test results
Before starting the practical. some field tests were done on the soil provided to us. The field tests
carried out are as follows
1.1 The smearing test:
Some soil sample was taken and an amount of water was added to it so as to make it a paste.
The soil paste was then moulded into a ball and allowed to dry a bit. The ball was pinched
with the index and thumb finger such that the paste was smeared at one go.
During the process of smearing, the particles in the soil were felt and some of the deductions
as follows had to be done:
i. After smearing, the soil is said to be sandy if it does not form a smooth and thin layer
ii, If the thin soil layer is found to be shiny and evenly spread out, the nature of the soil is
plastic
iii, After drying out, if the soil falls from the thumb or can be removed easily. the soil can
be said to be sandy or silty in nature (with low plasticity).
iv. If the soil sticks to the fingers after drying, it can then be said to be plastic in nature
(CivilBlog Org. 2014)
Deductions: The soil was found to be shiny and evenly spread out. However the soil can be
easily removed from the thumb after it dried out with some sticking to the hand.