Physical properties of soils

Dr. Muhammad Iqbal

Assistant Professor
Institute of Soil & Environmental
Sciences, UAF

Soil Texture

To learn and understand the significance of

the following concepts related to soil
texture:
The definition of soil texture, soil separates and
textural class. The relative size of particles
defined as sand, silt, and clay.
How to determine a soil's textural class using the
textural triangle when the soil texture is known.
How to estimate a soil's textural class by the
Hydrometer or fell method.
Importance of soil texture

Soil Texture = %Sand, Silt & Clay in a soil.

Soil texture is the single most important

physical property of the soil. Knowing the soil
texture alone will provide information about:

1) water flow potential,

2) water holding capacity,

3) fertility potential,
4) suitability for many urban
uses like bearing capacity

Texture

The Percent of sand, silt,

clay in a soil sample
Critical for understanding
soil behavior and
management
Soil texture is not
subject to change in the
field but can be changed
in potting mixes.

Particle size distribution

Soil texture
Soil texture is defined as
the relative proportion of
sand, silt and clay %.
The ranges of diameters of
the three separates are
(ISSS): course sand (2.00.2 mm), fine sand (0.2- 0.02
mm), silt (0.02-.002 mm),
and clay (<0.002 mm).

Particle size

Diameter Ranges (USDA)

Soil Fraction Soil Separate
Sand

Very coarse
sand

Diameter
(mm)
1 to 2

Coarse sand

0.5 to 1

Medium sand

0.25 to 0.5

Fine sand

0.1 to 0.25

Very fine sand

0.05 to 0.1

Silt

Silt

0.002 to 0.05

Clay

Clay

< 0.002

Importance of soil Texture

Soil texture is one of the most important
properties of a soil, and it greatly affects
land use and management.
It affects the amount of water and
nutrients that a soil can hold and supply to
plants.
Soil physical properties such as structure,
and movement of air and water through
the soil are affected by texture.

Importance of soil texture---cont

For example a fine textured clayey soil is
difficult to till, has poor aeration for good
root growth, difficult to wet and difficult to
drain but it can retain more nutrients and
water.
Coarse sandy soil is easy to wet, easy to
drain and easy to till but loses more plant
nutrients and water by leaching.

Sand
Feels gritty
Considered noncohesive does
not stick together
in a mass unless it
is very wet.

Sand

Sand has less nutrients for

plants than smaller particles
Voids between sand
particles promote free
drainage and entry of air
Holds little water and prone
to drought

Silt
< 0.05 mm to > 0.002 mm
Not visible without
microscope
Quartz often dominant
mineral in silt since
other minerals have
weathered away.

Silt

Does not feel gritty

Floury feel smooth like
silly putty

Silt

Smaller particles retains

more water for plants and
have slower drainage than
sand.
Easily washed away by
flowing water highly
erosive.
Holds more plant nutrients
than sand.

Silt is
responsible for
silting over
gravel beds in
rivers that are
needed by fish
for spawning.

www.pedrocreek.org/ fishcommittee.html

Clay
< 0.002 mm
Flat plates or tiny flakes
Small clay particles are
colloids

If

suspended in water will

not settle

Clay
Wet clay is very sticky
and is plastic or it can
be molded readily into a
shape or rod.
Easily formed into long
ribbons

Clay

Pores spaces are very small

and convoluted

Water holding capacity

Movement of water and air

very slow

Tremendous capacity to
adsorb water- not all available
for plants.

Chemical adsorption is large

Textural Triangle

Sandy Soils

Coarse
texture
Sands

Loamy

sands

Loamy Soils

Moderately
coarse
texture

Sandy loam
Fine sandy
loam

Loamy Soils- Coarse

Medium texture

Very fine
sandy loam
Loam
Silt loam
Silt

Loamy Soils - Fine

Moderately
fine texture

Sandy
clay loam
Clay loam
Silty
clay loam

Clayey Soils

Fine texture
Silty

clay

Clay
Sandy

clay

Changing Soil Texture

Soil texture can be

changed only by mixing
with another soil with a
different textural class
in small quantities

Changing Soil Texture

Adding sand to a clay soil

creates a cement like substance
Adding peat or compost to a
mineral soil is not considered
changing the texture since it
only adds organic matter not
sand, silt or clay.
So why add peat or compost?

Changes in soil texture

Over long periods

(1000s yrs) pedologic
processes alter soil
horizon textures.
As soils get older sand
weathers to silt and
silt weathers to
clay.therefore old
soils have more clay.

Soil Texture

Methods for Textural Determination

Hydrometer method
Feel Method

Soil texture can also be determined by feeling the

soil.
This procedure takes practice but eventually a
person can become very proficient and will be able
to estimate the % clay within 3% of the actual
value.

Determining Soil Texture - Feel

Method

Wet soil in hand

Make ribbon
Length of ribbon
indicates clay content
Grit or lack of grit
indicates sand or silt
Smoothness indicates
silt

Determining Soil Texture

Hydrometer Method
The

velocity of settling (V)

is proportional to the
square of particle
diameters (d)
Bigger particles settle
more quickly
Density of the water (due
to suspended silt and clay)
holds up hydrometer

Applications of soil physics to environment quality

Soil physical properties
and processes

Greenhouse Effect:
- Gaseous efflux of
CO2, CH4, NOx
- C sequestration
aggregation

Quality of
Life

Air quality
Particulate
matter in air:
- Wind erosion
- Blowing salt

Water quality

Environmental
Soil Physics

Soil Physics
and
Environment
Quality

Fresh water
resources and quality:
- Suspended and
dissolved loads
- Biological and
chemical O2 demand
- Pathogens

Acid Rain:
- Water quality
- Vegetation
cover
- Biodiversity

Soil quality

Soil buffers and

filters pollutants
out of environment

Specific Surface Area

Properties related to SSA are
CEC, retention and movement of chemicals, swell-shrink
capacity, plasticity, cohesion and strength
SSA is expressed as:

Surface area per unit mass (am)

Surface area per unit volume (av)

Surface area per unit bulk volume (ab)

SSA is expressed as:

Surface area per unit mass (am)

Surface area per unit volume (av)

Surface area per unit bulk volume (ab)

As
m2
am

Ms
g

As total surface area

As
m2
av 3
Vs
m

Ms mass of soil

As
m2
ab 3
Vt
m

Vt total volume

Vs volume of soil solids

SSA can be determined by:

For powdery substances such as clay

Adsorption isotherms

Using inert substances such as N2, water vapor

ethylene glycol

Amount
adsorbed

Solution

Methods of measuring SSA

By Ethylene Glycol
Dry soil sample is saturated with ethylene glycol in a
vacuum desiccator
-

Excess polar liquid is removed under vacuum

Surface area is calculated from weight of ethylene

glycol retained
-

BET Method:

Brunauer, Emmett, Teller (1938)

Assumptions:
1.

Nonpolar gas molecules are adsorbed in multilayer on

a solid surface

2.

Amount of adsorbed gas in monolayer in contact with

the surface can be determined by constructing an
adsorption isotherm and analyzing it mathematically

Main assumption for BET equation

1.

The molecules adsorbed on the first layer (directly on

surface) are more energetically adsorbed than
molecules on subsequent layers

2.

Heat of adsorption of all layers after the first is equal

to the latent heat of condensation of gas

Linear form of BET equation

p
1
c 1 p

x ( po p ) x m c x m c po
x = weight of gas adsorbed at equilibrium pressure
p = equilibrium gas pressure
po = saturation vapor pressure at temperature T
xm = weight of gas in a complete monolayer
c = exp(E1-L)/RT
E1 = heat of adsorption in the first layer
L = latent heat of condensation
R = gas constant/mole (1,336 calories/mole)
T = absolute temperature

Total surface area of soil sample

xm
St
N Am
M

St= Total surface area of the sample

xm= experimentally determined weight of gas in an adsorbed monolayer
M = molecular weight of the adsorbate (28.01 for N2)
N = Avogadros Number (6.02 x 1023) (calculated value of the number of
atoms, molecules,
etc. in a gram mole of any chemical substance)
.
Am = cross sectional area of gas molecule in the monolayer (16.2 x 10-20
m2 for N2)
The specific surface area, am, is obtained by dividing the total surface area
by the sample weight.
Remember adsorption experiment must be conducted at or below the
temperature of condensation of gas in order for significant adsorption to
occur

Soil degradation
Land degradation indicates temporary or

permanent long-term decline in ecosystem

function and
Productive capacity. It may refer to the
destruction or deterioration in health of
terrestrial ecosystems, thus affecting the
associated biodiversity, natural ecological
processes and ecosystem resilience.

Soil deg-------- cont

It also considers the reduction or loss of

biological/economic productivity and

complexity of croplands, pasture,
woodland, forest, etc. Across the world,
over 20% of cultivated areas, 30% of forests
and 10% of grasslands are suffering from
degradation, affecting about 1.5 billion
people.

Causes of land degradation include:

Clearance of vegetative cover

Soil erosion by wind or water
Natural conditions e.g. soil type, topography (e.g. steep
gradient),weather/climatic conditions e.g. High intensity
rainfall, natural hazards
Invasive species
Pollution
Drought i.e. precipitation is significantly lower than
average recorded levels for a prolonged period.
Unsustainable agricultural practices Habitat alteration e.g.
urban expansion

Effects of soil degradation

Decline in the chemical, physical and/or

biological properties of soil e.g. lower

organic content and nutriments level,
salinisation, pH changes in soil
(acidification or alkalinization)
Reduced availability of potable water
Lessened volumes of surface water

Depletion of aquifers due to lack of re-charge

 Impacts on livestock and agriculture e.g. loss of

animals due to dehydration, reduced yields
water and food insecurity, famine
Biodiversity loss
General reduction of the ability for the community
to depend on the natural environment for livelihood
Decline in economic productivity and national
development
Conflict over access to resources
Mass migration

Role of agricultural practices

Intensification and increased mechanization of agriculture

have led to the abandoning of many sustainable traditional
agricultural practices in favor of increased yields and faster
production. These include:
Overgrazing of pasture land over cultivation of cropland
and mono-cropping, waterlogging and salinization of
irrigated land, over-extraction of wells, rivers and dams,
land clearance e.g. slash-and-burn, deforestation
Excessive and continuous fertilizer, herbicide and pesticide
use, conversion of unsuitable lands to agriculture e.g. use
of marginal lands, clearance of tropical forest for livestock
rearing