Question

You took a soil sample in your backyard and measured the following: Sand = 15mm, Silt = 3mm, and Clay = 12mm. What type of soil texture do you have?

	1	Sandy clay loam
	2	Sandy clay
	3	Sandy loam
	4	Silt
	5	Sand
	6	Silty clay
	7	Clay loam
	8	Silt loam
	9	Loam
	10	Clay
	11	Silty clay loam
	12	Loamy sand

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Once I get a percentage, I can use soil triangle to figure out what soil it is.

However, there's no percentage given in the problem.

How can I get percentages for sand, clay, and silt using the millimeter?

Answer 1

thickness of the sand, silt, and clay layers.
a. The thickness of sand deposit 15mm
b. The thickness of silt deposit 3mm
c. The thickness of clay deposit 12mm
d. The thickness of total deposit 30mm
Calculate the percentage of sand, silt, and clay.
percent clay = ([clay thickness] / [total thickness] ) x 100
percent silt = ( [silt thickness]/ [total thickness] ) x 100
percent sand =([sand thickness]/ [total thickness] ) x 100