COLOR INTERPRETATION

AND SOIL TEXTURES

ACT PRESENTATION 1 SEPTEMBER 2013

David Hammonds, Environmental Manager

Florida Department of Health
Division of Disease Control and Health Protection
Bureau of Environmental Health
Onsite Sewage Programs
850-245-4570
 Materialsforthesoilstrainingsectionwere
providedbytheFDOH,USDANatural
ResourcesConservationService,WadeHurt,
Dr.WillieHarris,Dr.MaryCollins,Dr.Rex
Ellis,theFloridaAssociationofEnvironmental
SoilScientists,Dr.MichaelVepraskas,the
UniversityofMinnesotaandtheUSEPA
DesignManual.
 Properlyidentifyingsoilmorphology(soil
characteristicsobservableinthefield,
includinghorizonation)isthemost
importantstepleadingtoaproperly
permitted,functionalonsitesewage
treatmentanddisposalsystem.Ifyou
makemistakesatthisstep,theworstcase
scenarioisthatthesystemwillnotmeet
requiredhealthstandardsandputthe
publicatriskofwaterbornedisease.
 Propertiesusedin
describingsoillayers
Color: Akeypropertyinsoilinterpretation
Mostevident
InfluencedbyOrganicMatter(OM)andredox
sensitivemetalssuchasIron(Fe)and
Manganese(Mn)
REDOX=Oxidation/Reductionreaction a
processinwhichoneormoresubstancesare
changedintoothers
WetnessaffectsOMandredoxsensitivemetals
 Basics:
SoilColor thedominantmorphologicalfeature
usedtopredicttheSHWT
Matrix dominant(background)color(s)ofsoil
horizon(canbe1color)
Mottle splotchofcolor,oppositeofmatrix
Redoximorphic(Redox)Features specific
featuresformedfromoxidationreduction
reactionsusedtopredictseasonalhighwater
tables,includescertaintypesandamountsof
mottles.Theyarecausedbythepresenceof
waterandmineralsinthesoil.
ProperColoringMethodology

USDANRCSnotation,methodology,and
terminologyisreferencedbyDOH
regulationsandthereforeMUSTbeusedfor
ALLOSTDSpurposeswhendescribingsoils
(i.e.soiltexturesandcolors)
Noothermethodologyisacceptable.
TheMunsellSoilColorCharts

NewestbookcameoutinFebruary
2013.
Canuseolderbooksifconsistentwith
currentinformation(morelater).
10YRAND7.5YRreplacementsheets
currentlyavailable.
 MunsellColorNotation

Usedtodescribesoilcolorformaximum
accuracyandcommunication.
Threedescriptiveelementsareusedandare
alwayswritteninthefollowingspecificorder.
HUE VALUE/CHROMA
Example: 10R 5/8
 HUE
Identifiesthebasisspectralcoloror
wavelength(Red,Yellow,Blue,orin
between,suchasYellowRedetc.)

NormallyoneHUE oneachpageinthe
MunsellSoilColorChartsbook(are
exceptionssuchasGleycolorsmorelater)
MostcommonlyusedHueinFloridais10YR
(butdontjustlookonthatpage)
 HUESymbols
(letterabbreviations)
R=Red;YR=YellowRed;Y=Yellow
Theletterisprecededbynumbers0to10
WithineachletterrangetheHuebecomes
moreyellowandlessredasthenumbers
increase.Forexample:
2.5YRismoreredthan5YR
7.5YRislessyellowthan10YR
GleyChartsincludeNeutral,Yellow,Green,
Blue,Purple,andcombinations.
 HUESymbols
Themiddleoftheletterrangeisat5andthe
0pointisthesameasthe10pointofthe
nextredderHue.
Therefore,5YRisinthemiddleoftheyellow
redHue,whichextendsfrom10R(0YR)to
10YR(0Y).
PagesinMunsellBookareprearrangedfrom
mostredthroughmostyellow.
Hue basisspectralcolor;wavelength
RED
SAME
HUES Moving from left to right becomes more
yellow, even within groups
0R 2.5R 5R 7.5R 10R
YELLOW-RED SAME
HUES

0YR 2.5YR 5YR 7.5YR 10YR

YELLOW
Hues in blue are the
common soil hues. 0Y 2.5 Y 5Y 7.5Y 10Y

Note increments of 2.5

between each
consecutive hue (this
is one unit of hue)
 VALUE
Indicatesthedegreeoflightnessordarkness,
orreflectance ofanobjectviewedindaylight
Scaleisfrom0fortheidealblackto10for
theidealwhite,insteps(units)thatare
visuallyequal.
Lightnessincreasesfromblackatthebottom
ofpage, throughthegrays,tonearlywhiteat
thetopofthepage.
 PURE WHITE 10/0

Value
The Degree of
Lightness or GRAY 5/0
Darkness of
the Spectral
Color

PURE BLACK 0/0

 CHROMA
Thecolorintensity,saturationorrelative
strengthofcolor. Indicatesthedegreeof
departurefromagrayofthesameValue.
Thescaleisfrom0 8ontheMunsellColor
Chart. 0indicatesnostrength(nocolor;gray)
and8greateststrength(mostcolor).
NumbersareunitsofChroma.
Readfromleft(lowest)toright(highest).
CHROMA strength of color

Neutral Pure
Color Color

1 2 3 4 6 8

Increasingstrengthofcolor(atsameValue)

Increasing grayness
 Chroma-
Value - measurement
measurement of coloring
of soil organic agents like
matter (OM). iron or
Is the lightness manganese.
or darkness of Strength of
a color. Range color. Range
is from 0 (pure is from 0 (no
black) to 10 color) to 8
(pure white). (most color).
LowChromaColors
Throughoutthiscourseyou
willhearthetermlow
chromacolors Whatdoes
itmean?
 LowChromameans:
CHROMA2ORLESS
Allhueshavechroma2orlessonthepages,
thereforeallhueshavelowchromacolors.
AllGleychartcolorsarecomprisedcompletely
oflowchromacolors.
Specific lowchromacolorshavemeaning
regardingtheSHWTdetermination(moreon
thislater).
ColorsBETWEENChromaChips

Colorsexistbetween Chromachips
Theyarenoteddifferentlythanothers
Ifthechromaisbetweentwochips,notethe
loweroneandadda+asanotation.
Example:Thesoilhasmorecolorthan10YR
6/1andnotenoughtobe10YR6/2.
Thepropernotationwouldbe10YR6/1+
ColorsBETWEENChromaChips

DONOTROUNDUPTOTHENEXTHIGHER
CHROMA.

THISISESSENTIALWHENDECIDINGIF
SPECIFICCOLORSCANBEUSEDASAN
INDICATOROFSEASONALHIGHWATER
TABLE(morelater).
QUESTIONS?
PROPER TECHNIQUE WHEN
DETERMINING SOIL
COLORS
 CorrectColoringMethod

Holdsoilbehind thehuecardwiththecolor
chips(therightsideoftheMunsellBook).
Findtheclosestmatchfromall choicesinthe
book,readHueValue/Chromanotation.
LooktoleftsideofMunsellbookforsoil
colornameandmatchHueValue/Chroma
fromrightside.
Seenextslideforexamples.
COLOR NAME DIAGRAM MUNSELL NOTATIONS
WhenusingtheMunsellbook

Usethebookproperly Pagesmustbeusable!!!
Donottaketoolongtoreadthecolor
Usethechipmasks ifnecessary
Usethemaskclosestinvaluetothesoilsamplebeing
observed. Useblackmaskforblack/verydarksamples,
whitemaskforlightcoloredsoilsamples,grayforeverything
else.
Theuseofachipmaskwillfacilitatecolormatchingwhen
thereisdifficultyinchoosingacolor.Themaskallowsonly4
chipstobeseenatonetime.Locatedinsidethebackcover
oftheMunsellBook.
CHIPMASKS
 Readingsoilcolors
Optimum
conditions
Natural light
Clear, sunny day
Midday
Light at right
angles
Soil is moist (not
wet or dry)
 MoistSoil
Amoistsamplewillnotgetanydarkerwhen
waterisaddedtothesample,anditwillnot
glisten.Asamplethatistoowetwillglisten
inthesunlight,orthewaterpuddlesonthe
sample.
Whentexturing,thesoilshouldbeeasily
manipulatedbyyourthumbandforefinger.
Innonsandysoils,thiscouldbecomparedto
moistputty.
 CorrectMoistureContent

DRY SOIL MOIST SOIL TOO WET

Note higher MUST USE Note Glistening
value, lower
THIS ONE
chroma
 READINGSOILCOLORS
Sun over RT shoulder
RT angle to page

NO Sunglasses!!!

Pages are
UNALTERED/
ORIGINAL/
CLEAN

Small/Moist sample BEHIND

the hue card! NEVER
ON THE PAGE!!
Sampleisbehindthehuecard

Sample
NOTTHERIGHTWAY!!!
Different types of Colors:
The GLEY charts
These are read differently than
the other charts
 GLEYCHARTS
Twosupplementalchartscontaining
grayish, bluish andgreenish colorsoften
foundinverywetmineralsoils are
containedonthesecharts.Thecharts
alsocontainaNeutralHue(nochroma).
Soilswithspecificcolorsonthesecharts
areverywetandwillbediscussedina
separatepresentation.
The Gley Charts
Hues are found in EACH INDIVIDUAL
COLUMN at the bottom of the page.
Values are on left, like other charts.
Values
on left
side

Different Hues on bottom

Whataboutthe CHROMA
fortheGleyCharts?
ReadchromafromtheEnglish
name(leftside)ofthecharts.
Chromadesignationwillbeto
therightoftheforwardslash.
Seenextslide.
ReadChromafromrightof
forwardslash

NO CHROMA
 NotethatallhuesontheGley
Chartsarechroma1,exceptfor
twohues:
N(Neutral)having0(no)chroma(thisis
duetolackofirongivinganycolor),and
5G_/2.
QUESTIONS???
 Examples of Munsell
Books
Which Munsell books/Hue cards you
should and should not use (how to
know when to get a new Hue card or
new book)
 Someoftheproblems
Valuesorchromashavechangedwithinthesamehue
betweeneditions
Additionofnewhues
Missingchips
Dirtychips(nolongerarecorrectcolor)
Cracked/faded/discoloredchips
Chipstapedtopage
Thepageshavebeenlaminated.
Thebookhasbeenleftintherainandhasmildewed,
obscuringthecolors.
Two10Rpagesfromdifferentyears.
Notenewchips.
 New columns of color

This column This is really

deleted a new row
Tapedchips,
missingchips,
crackedchips,
discolored
(dirty/faded)
chips.Older
pageonleft,
newonright.
Comparisonof
2cards
(New behind
old,lookat
differencesin
colors)
 Useoftheoldercardswould
resultinmisidentificationofsoil
colors,includingtheSHWT
identificationfeatures,whichwill
resultinimproperdetermination
oftheSHWT.
Soil Color Contrast
Determining Differences
between soil colors
 HueDifference

Firstmustdeterminethedifferencein
theHUESofeachcolor
Shouldusecolorwheel(laterslide)
Quickmethodformostcolorsisto
countpagesinaccordancewith
followingdiagram.(Note:signifies
changeinandhsignifiesHue;
thereforehmeanschangeinHue)
 h1 per page. Count # of 2.5-unit
intervals.
h=1 per page, count # of pages
 Use of the Munsell
Hue Circle

USDA NRCS Technical Note 2

Thehuesshownin REDaretheapprovedsoilhues.

Inaclockwise
direction,huesof
5Rthrough5Y are
spacedat2.5unit
intervals.
Thesehuesare
normalsoilhues.
One2.5unit
intervalequatesto
achangeofone
unitofhue.
 Oftheremaining
approvedsoil
hues(inred),
between5Yand
5PB theinterval
betweeneach
soilhueisTWO
2.5unitintervals.
Thiscorrelatesto
twounitsofhue
betweeneach
soilhue
 TocalculateHueChange:

Todeterminethe"differenceinhue"between
colors,COUNTTHENUMBEROF2.5UNIT
INTERVALS.
Forexample,huesof2.5YRand7.5YRdifferbytwo
2.5unitintervals(7.52.5=5,whichistwo2.5unit
intervals),andsotheirdifferenceinhueiscounted
as"2.
Huesof5Yand5GYdifferbyfour2.5unitintervals,
andsotheirdifferenceinhueiscountedas"4.
Couldalsojustusethewheel.
HuechangefromNeutral

TheHuechangefrom
NEUTRALtoANYOTHERHUE
isachangeofONEUNITOF
HUE.
 UnitsofValueChange

Unitsofvaluerangefrom0to10.
Normally,thereisaoneunitchange
betweeneachcolor,buttheremaybe
less.
Forexample:
Thedifferencein Value betweena
10YR 5/1 anda 10YR7/1 is2UNITS.
(Thedifferencebetween5and7is2.)
 Here, the values can
change as little as 0.5 units
within the same chroma.
The difference between a
value of 2.5 and a value of
3 (both at chroma 1) is 0.5
units (<1 unit of value
change). If you were to
count chips, the answer
would be different, where
the wrong answer would be
a difference of 1 chip.
VERYIMPORTANT!!!

TODETERMINEVALUECHANGE,
CALCULATEDIFFERENCE
BETWEENTHEUNITS
(Valueof2.5,3,4,etc.)
DONOTCOUNTCHIPS!!
 UnitsofChromaChange
UnitsforChromarangefrom0to8.
Thereisaoneortwo unitchange
betweeneachcolor.

1 UNIT CHANGE/CHIP 2 UNIT CHANGE/CHIP

VERYIMPORTANT!!!
TODETERMINECHROMACHANGE,
CALCULATEDIFFERENCEBETWEEN
THEUNITS
(Chromaof1,2,3,4,etc.)
DONOTCOUNTCHIPS!!
 UnitsofChromaChange

Forexample:
Thedifferencein Chroma betweena
7.5YR 5/1 anda10YR 5/2 is1unit.
(21=1)
ThedifferenceinChroma betweena
10YR 5/3 anda10YR 5/6 is3units.
(63=3)
Notethatthereisachangeoftwochipsbutis
actually achangeof3unitsofchroma.
Do notcountchips!!!
 Note
Whenreadingvaluesandchromas,onlythose
unitsareconsidered.CompareValuetoValue
andChromatoChroma.
Changeinhuedoesnot affectthecalculation
ofthedifferencebetweenvaluesorchromas,
theyareindependentofeachother.
Simplydeterminethevalueorchromaineach
colorandcalculatethedifferencewithout
regardtohue.
QUESTIONS???
 Contrast between Soil
Colors
Contrast refers to the degree of visual
distinction between associated colors.
Faint contrasts that are evident only
on close examination.
Distinct -- contrasts that are readily
seen but are only moderately expressed
Prominent -- contrasts that are
strongly expressed.
 QUESTION
Candifferentpeopleuniformlyand
consistentlyjudgethesesubjective
criteriawithnootherguidelines?
 Notverylikely!!!!
Anobjectivemethodisused
tojudgeSoilColorContrast.
 USDA NRCS
Soil Survey Technical Note
No. 2
May 2002
Soil Color Contrast
Coverpage
 Inthefollowingslides,thesymbol(delta)
meanschangeordifferencein.For
example:h=1meansthechangeofhue
betweenthetwocolorsisone 2.5unit
interval.
Example7.5YRto10YR
Usethemethodgiveninthetechnicalnoteto
determinehuedifference.
 IMPORTANTNOTE!!!
Ifthemottleandmatrixbothhavevalues
of3andchromasof2,thecolor
contrastisfaint,REGARDLESSOFTHE
DIFFERENCEINHUE.
 h=0:
3Faint
9Distinct
5Prominent
(Notethata
valueor
chroma4is
prominent)
 h=1
2Faint
4Distinct
4Prominent
(Notethata
valueor
chroma3
isprominent
 h=2
1Faint
2Distinct
3Prominent
(Notethata
valueor
chroma2is
prominent)
h=3
Allcolorcontrastisprominentbydefinition
EXCEPTFORTHOSEVALUES3ANDCHROMAS
2,WHICHAREFAINTBYDEFINITION
REGARDLESSOFHUECHANGE
 PROMINENT

PROMINENT
DISTINCT
PROMINENT
DISTINCT

FAINT

DISTINCT FAINT

Using matrix Color 10YR 4/2 (red box area)

FAINT
the soil color contrast comparison is:
If you believe you have
found a discrepancy in
the chart:
USE DEFINITION OF SOIL
COLOR CONTRAST TERMS
Volume of Redoximorphic
Features
The quantity (volume) of the
redoximorphic features in the soil
sample is important for the
determination of the estimated
seasonal high water tables.
 Nonhydricsoils

Redoximorphicfeaturesmustbeatleast
COMMON,butcanalsobeMANY.
They CANNOT beFEW.
So,whatistherequiredvolumeredox
featuresmustoccupytocountas
commonormany?
 QuantityofRedoximorphic
Features(few,common,many)

Thefollowingamountscorrelatewith
specific percentages:
Few lessthan2%(<2%)
Common 2to20%(220%)
Many morethan20%(>20%)
 Determinationofthe
quantityofRedoxFeatures
UsetheChartsforEstimating
ProportionsofMottlesandCoarse
Fragments foundintheMunsellSoil
ColorCharts.Thesewillquantifythe
amountofredoxfeatures.
 Abundance and Size of
Color Contrasting Areas

Size of mottles
Fine < 5 mm
Medium 5 to 15
mm
Coarse > 15 mm
Note that the size of
the mottles do not
matter, only the
amount.
QUESTIONS??
 Istexturingorcoloring
performedfirst?
ColoringRedoximorphicfeaturescouldbe
overlookedduetothephysicalmanipulation
ofthesoilifitwastexturedfirst.
Allcolorsinthesamplearerecordedbefore
texturing.Multiplecolorseasilyblend.
Thesamesoilsampleshouldbeusedtoboth
colorandtexture,increasingtheaccuracyof
theprofile.
 Seewhathappens?
AT LEAST 4 COLORS EXIST IN SAMPLE

AFTER MIXING

BEFORE MIXING
 Whereisthebestplaceto
getthesoilsample?

Thesampletobecolored(andtextured)shouldcome
fromanareathathasnotbeendisturbedor
contaminatedfromtheprocessoftakingthesample
(e.g.turningofthesoilauger).Forexample,inheavier
texturedsoils,theoutsideofthesampleisoftenmarred
bytheturningoftheaugerandiscontaminatedbysoil
aboveit.Thetruecolor(ortexture)ofthesoilisnot
necessarilyontheoutsideofthesample.
 Heavytexturedsoils
(loamsandclays)
Thesamplemustbeobtainedfromthearea
ofleastdisturbance,normallythemiddleof
thesample.
Thesoilsampleshouldbebroken
longitudinallytoobservethecolorsandto
collectthesamplefortexturing.
EXAMPLEINAUGERBUCKET
Outside of sample-
air got to sample,
reduced matrix
forming

INSIDE THE
AUGER BUCKET

Inside of sample-no
oxidation-depleted
matrix is observed
 Sandysoils

Sandysoilsarenoteasilyremovedfromthe
bucketinoneortwolargepieces.
Thesamplestillmustcomefroman
unadulteratedarea.Makesurethatwhat
youarelookingatisfromthehorizonin
question,notdebrisfromadifferentsource
(soilfallingintoholeorontosample).
SANDY SOIL WITH REDOX
 Carefulobservationisrequired.Redox
featurescanbemissedwhenusingabucket
auger.Takethetimenecessarytomake
properobservations.
Useasharpshootertypeshovel toremovea
plugofsoiltodeterminethedepthtothe
uppermostSHWTfeature.Thelargersoil
samplesizemakesiteasiertoseesoil
features.Someredoxfeaturesareharderto
seeinanauger.
 Approximate
comparison
between
samplesfound
inaugerand
sharpshooter
typeshovel
Soil Formation -
Horizons
What is a Soil Horizon?
 SoilHorizonBasics

Asoilhorizonisalayerofsoil,approximately
paralleltothesurface,havingdistinctcharacteristics
producedbythesoilformingprocess.
Soilhasnaturalorganizationandisbiologically
active.Thisisaresultofseveralfactorsthatwillbe
discussedinalaterpresentation.
Individualkindsofsoilsaredistinguishedbytheir
specificsequenceofhorizons,orsoilprofile.The
characteristicsandverticalsequenceofthese
horizonsvaryinnaturalpatternsacrossthe
landscape.
 SOIL:
COMPONENTSAND
TEXTURES
Thefollowingarethesoil
texturesemployedbyUSDA
NRCS(thereforebyDOH)
Note that very coarse sand and coarse
sand are combined into the
classification of coarse sand when
determining textures.
Red indicates Sandy SHWT indicators
used
Gray means Loamy/Clayey SHWT
indicators used.
VCOS very coarse COS coarse sand S sand
sand
FS fine sand VFS very fine LCOS loamy
sand coarse sand
LS loamy sand LFS loamy fine LVFS loamy very
sand fine sand
COSL coarse SL sandy loam FSL fine sandy
sandy loam loam
VFSL very fine L loam SIL silt loam
sandy loam
SI silt SCL sandy clay CL clay loam
loam
SICL silty clay loam SC sandy clay SIC silty clay

C clay MARL is written MK mucky

out
PT peaty GR gravelly or MUCK is written
gravels out
PEAT is written out Hard Rock is Soft Rock is
written out written out
 **NOTE**
THETEXTUREOFLVFSISCONSIDEREDTO
BEALOAMYTEXTUREDSOILFOR
PURPOSESOFREDOXFEATURE
IDENTIFICATION.
 WhyisSoilTexture
Important?

Soiltexturecontrolswhichredoximorphic
featuresareusedtodeterminetheseasonal
highwatertable.
Soiltexturealsocontrolsthesizeofthe
drainfield/unobstructedarea(assumingsame
estimateddailysewageflow).
 COMPONENTSOFTHE
SOIL
Thereare4basiccomponents ofsoil.

Minerals(particlesize)
OrganicMatter
Water
Gases
 SoilMinerals:ParticleSize

ForDOHpurposes,onlymineralparticle
sizeisconsidered,asopposedtothe
materialfromwhichtheparticleis
made.
Mineralsizeisbrokendownintothree
maincategories.
ThreeMineralParticle
Sizes
Sand:2.000.05mm
Silt:0.050.002mm
Clay:<0.002mm
(2millionthsofameter)
 Soil Particle Size
Comparison

Sand Silt . Clay

Here is the
clay particle.
See the very
small dot?
 SANDfacts
LargestMineralParticle
Sizeis 2.0mmto0.05mm indiameter
Individualparticlesvisiblewithout
magnification
GrittywhenRubbed
Barelyholdstogetherwhenmoist
WaterMovementisRapidtoVery
Rapid(largepores)
Notehowthesanddoes
notholdtogether
SAND SizeSubdivisions
Fine Sand and Medium Sand
(medium sand is referred to as
sand) are the most common of
the sand sizes that are found in
Florida.
 Sand is the only particle size
that is subdivided into smaller
categories for texturing
purposes.
 SANDSizeSubdivisions
VeryCoarseSand:2.00 1.00mm;thicknessof
nickeltojustunderadime
CoarseSand:1.00 0.50mm;about4sheetsof
standardpaperthickness(smallest)
MediumSand(Sand):0.50 0.25mm;sugar
grainsize
FineSand:0.25 0.10mmpenpointorstrand
ofhair,thicknessofbusinesscard
VeryFineSand:0.10 0.05mmusemagnifying
glasstosee
Silt
 SILTfacts
Intermediateindiameterbetweensandandclay
Sizeis0.05mmto0.002mmindiameter
Difficulttoseewithoutmagnification
Whenmoistordry,feelssmoothandfloury;
silky
Primarilyfoundonfloodplainsofriversand
areasinthesouthernpartofFlorida (rarein
Florida,butmoreabundantinSWFlorida)
Clay
 CLAYfacts
Smallestmineralparticle
Sizeis<0.002mmindiameter
Individualparticlescanonlybeseenwitha
strongmicroscope
Watermovesslowlythroughclay(small
pores)
Stickywhenmoist moldseasilyintoshapes
Raretofindpureclay(commontofindpure
sand)
 SoilTexture
Thepercentageof Sand,
Silt and Clay particlesin
sampleofsoilmaterial.
Ifwehavesand,siltandclaysize
particles,whatis
LOAM?
 Loam
Isnot asoilparticlesize.
Isasoiltexture composedofspecificpercentages
ofsand,siltandclay.
Whentexturing,aloam feelslike equalpartsof
sand,siltandclay(feelssomewhatgritty,yet
fairlysmoothandslightlyplastic.Whenmoist,it
formsacastthatmaybehandledquitefreely
withoutbreaking ).Itdoesnot haveequalparts
ofeachseparate,butcanbethoughtofasallthe
separateshavingapproximatelyequalactivity.
CommonSoilTexturesinFlorida

*FineSand(FS)
*Sand(S)
LoamyFineSand(LFS)
LoamySand(LS)
FineSandyLoam(FSL)
SandyLoam(SL)
SandyClayLoam(SCL)
SandyClay(SC)
*mostcommon
QUESTIONS?
 PROPERTEXTURING
METHODOLOGYFORMINERAL
SOILS
Touch Texture Method
First,anoteonWHATtotexture

MAKE SURE THE SAMPLE HAS

NOT BEEN CONTAMINATED!!
 Thesoiltobetextured mustnot becontaminated
from any othersourcematerial.Forexample:
Soilfallinginfromabovethesample
Soiltranslocatedfromabove,suchastheoutsideof
thesamplehavingsoilmaterialfromaboveadhering
totheauger
Soilmaterial coveringyourhandsfromprevious
texturing.
Thesample must befromthehorizoninquestion.
 Forloamyandclayeysoils,itisnormally
besttogetthesamplefromtheinteriorof
theaugersample(fortexturingand
coloring).Breakthesoilsamplealongthe
longaxisandretrievethesamplefromthe
middle.
Anddontforget
 CLEANYOURHANDS
FIRST!!!!
Misidentifying the texture can easily
lead to using the wrong
Redoximorphic Features!!!
Loamy Sand: Redox Concentrations
Sandy Loam: Redox Depletions
Correct methodology
for Mineral Texture
determination
 WhatisMineralTexture?

Mineraltextureisthesoiltextureduetothe
particlesizeofthemineralsthatarepresent.
ThisDOESNOT includeanyorganicportions
thatmaybeinthesoilsample.
Ifthereisenoughorganicmaterialinthesoil
itmayholdtogether,butitreallydoesnot
qualifyasasoilribbonformineral soil,
thereforeitisunusablefortexturing.
 Howmuchsoil?Reallyneedenoughtowork
with,dependsonyourhandsize.Trya
tablespoonorso.Dontgettoomuch/little.
Ribbonneedstobeuniformthicknessand
width. Thicknessofribbonshouldbe
approximately2mm.Thethicknessofanickelis
1.95mm. Aquarteris1.75mmthickanda
dimeisabout1.35mmthick.
Ribbonwidthwillvarybetweenpeopledueto
widthofthethumb.
 Texture-by-
Feel
Methodology
Mineral Soil
Only
 Must remove organics
from mineral texture
consideration

Due to soil
texture, not
water or
organic
matter.
Poke it to
see if it
falls apart.
Ribbon is 1 inch
to <2 inches
 SandySoils
DONOT FORMRIBBONS!!!!
(LoamyVeryFineSandwillactmorelikesilt
andbesomewhatgrittyandmalleable,but
wontribbon.)
LoamyandClayeySoils

Allloamyandclayeysoilsform
ribbonswithlengthbeingthe
decidingfactortodetermine
texture.
Loamsformshorterribbons
Claysformlongerones.
WhatabouttexturingSilt???

Siltlacksgrittinessandfeelsextremely
flouryorsilkywhenmoistordry.It
willnotribbonandformsaweakball
thatbearscarefulhandlingwithout
breaking.Ismalleable(abletobe
shaped/formed).
 OrganicMatter(OM)and
Texturing

MineralTexturedoesnotincludeOM
MustremoveOMfromconsiderationof
mineralportion
IfenoughOMinsample,thetextureof
mineralmaterialwouldbemodified
DonotconfuseaFSsoilwithenoughorganics
tomakeitformaballwithaLFS THEYARE
NOTTHESAME.
 Organicsoils/components
Organicmaterialinmineralsoilsadddifficultyin
texturing.
Forexample,soilfromaspodiclayermayadhere,
butitisnotduetothecontentofmineralparticles
(sand,siltandclay).Itisduetotheadhesiveness
oftheorganicparticles.
TheNearSaturatedRubTestisusedtodetermine
muck,muckypeat,orpeat.Thisinformationis
thenaddedtothemineralcomponent,ifany.This
procedurewillbediscussedintheHydricSoils
Presentation.
SoilTexturing:Sand
SoilTexturing:Clayeysoil
Clayeysoilstartingto
ribbon
Clayeysoil>2ribbon
Soil Ribbon
Comparison
Soil Texture
Names
 ThemajorfractionistheLAST partofthe
name.
So,asandysoilincludes:
AllthingswithSANDasthedominant
particlesize(e.g.loamysandorLS).
ThetextureofSandcanalsobebroken
downtoVeryCoarse,Coarse,Medium,
FineandVeryFine.
 Asstatedearlier,theonlysoilparticlesizethatis
dividedintosmallersubgroupsisSAND.
Thismeansthatwhennamingsoils,thesame
informationisused.
Forexample:FineSandyLoam(FSL)meansthesoil
ismostlyloam,andthesandportionisfinesand.
ComparetoFineloamysand thereisNO
texturerecognizedwiththisname.Loamisnot
furtherdivided,soonecannothaveafineloamy
anything.
 Organicmodifiedtextures:

Whenorganicsoilsarefoundincombination
withmineralsoils,theorganicsoilisthe
modifier,nottheprominentportion.
Muck,muckypeatorpeatwouldbeadded
toanysoiltextureBEFOREthetextureis
named.
ThismeansthatwhileaMuckySandis
allowedasaname,SandyMuckisnot.
ComparisonofParticleSizein
DifferentSystems
 TheTexturalTriangle
Usedtosimplifydescriptionofparticlesize
mixtures(i.e.texture, butislimitedforOSTDS
purposesasitdoesnotdifferentiatesandsizes)

USDANRCSSoilTexturalClassificationis
requiredbyrule. Onlyschemeacceptableby
regulation.

12classesofsoiltexturearedepictedona3axis
graph
70% Sand
(size?)
25% Clay
5% Silt
is SCL
 Wheneverthepointfallsonaline,the
evaluatorMUSTgowiththemorestringent
soiltextureaccordingtoNRCS
methodology.
Thismeansfinertexture.
Ifthepointfallsonthelinebetween
loamysandandsandyloam,thetexture
isclassifiedasSandyLoam.
CAUTIONSONLABANALYSIS

MAKESURETHATTHERESULTSARE
UNDERSTOOD!
WHATMETHODSWEREUSED?
SIEVEANALYSIS?

THERESULTSMUSTACCOUNTFORSAND
GRADATIONASWELLASSILT/CLAY
CONTENT
Whensupplyingsoilssamples
toalabalwaysensurea
completetexture
determination ismade.This
mustincludeasieveanalysisto
determinethesandsize.
ReadtheBitsandPieces
presentationformore
informationonCoarse
Fragments.
QUESTIONS?
 ClassExercise
on
Texturing
Pleasegetyourhands
dirty!!!
 TEXTURE
MODIFIERS
Particle Sizes Larger Than The
Fine Earth Fraction
A.K.A.
Bigger Than Soil Particles
 Particlesizes2mmaresoilparticles,i.e.
theFINEEARTHFRACTION,(includingshell
fragments).Thisiswhatisusedto
determinethemineralsoiltexture.
Aslongasfragmentsthatare>2mm
occupy <15%ofthevolume ofthesample,
thesoilnameisnotmodified.
Once15%isreached,nameismodified.
 NONSOILPARTICLES
(CoarseFragments)
Particles >2 mm are not soil particles
(i.e. the fine-earth fraction), they are
Coarse Fragments and have several
names. They do figure into the
overall texture of a soil by modifying
the mineral soil texture.
 Whentheparticlesizeexceeds 2mm,it
movesoutoftheverycoarsesandtexture
andisnolongerasoilparticle.Theseitems
canincludeshells,rocks,orothernonsoil
(nonfineearth)items. Themodifier
gravelly or"GR"isusedwhenthefragment
contentbyvolumeis15%to<35%.
Gravelsrangeinsizeupto75mm(3
inches).
 Forexample
Ifthereare20%shellfragmentsthatare375mm
insizeandthesoiltextureissand,theproper
textureforthatsoilwouldbegravellysand,or
GRS.Thisexampleisanunsuitablesoiltype,asit
isseverelylimitedandcouldnotbeusedfor
systeminstallation.Usethe"Chartsfor
EstimatingProportionsofMottlesandCoarse
Fragments"foundintheMunsellbookto
determinethepercentageoffragments.
 SoilTextureDetermination

Mustremovethegravels(nonsoilparticles)from
considerationofthesoilsizeparticlesinorderto
getactualsoiltexture(if15%byvolumeofthe
soilhorizon).(Seenextslideforexample)
Thisisdonebyrunningthesoilsamplethrougha
nestofsieves.
Afterthenonsoilparticlesareremoved,the
remainingsampleistheentiresoilsampleand
willbeusedtodeterminethetextureofthe
mineralsoil(fineearth)fraction.
COS VCOS GRAVELS

FINE SAND
SAND
 MineralTexture

Removegravelsfromconsiderationasthey
are>2mminsizeanddonotcountaspartof
themineralsoiltexture.
TheremainingsieveswiththeVCOS,COS,S,
FS,andVFS(plusthepan)comprise100%of
themineralsoilsample.
Thegravelportionwillmodifythemineral
texturenameonlyifitoccupiedatleast15%
ofthevolumeofthesoilhorizon.
SoilTextureDetermination
Oncemineralsoiltextureisdetermined,
willaddtheproperadjective(e.g.gravelly,
verygravelly,etc.)toproperlynamethe
soil.
Example:
GravellyLoamyFineSandindicatesthat
15%and<35%gravelsoccupiesthe
volumeofthesoilhorizonwhosesoil
texturewasaLoamyFineSand.
 NotesonProperUseof
Texture
Thereisnoacceptabletexturesuchas
shellysandasthewordshellhas
noactualmeaningforsize.Shellisa
typeofparticle,notthesizeofa
particle.
Usetheproperadjectivetodescribe
thecoarsefragmentsofthesoil
horizons.
 Read the Bits and
Pieces presentation for
more information on
Coarse Fragments.
 OrganicMatter(OM)
Thesecondsolidcomponentofsoils
andconsistsprimarilyofpiecesand
partsofplantsthatareinvarious
statesofdecay.Sometimescalled
humus.
 OrganicMatter(OM)
EffectsofOrganicMatteronMineralSoils
increasingwaterholdingcapacity
addstilth,lesscompactedorloosen
DARKENSTHESOILCOLOR
OrganicMatterinDryvs.WetSoils
Whichhasmore?? (Wethasmore)
KindsofOrganicMaterial(MosttoLeast
decomposed)
Muck (Sapric);MuckyPeat(Hemic);
Peat(Fibric)
NOTE REDDISH
COLORATION
Water:TheMobileSoilComponent

Thethirdcomponentofsoils.Watermovesoverand
betweensoilparticlesintheporespaces.
Porespaces mostsoilscontainapproximately50%
porespaceandtheyarefilledwithgas(e.g.air)or
water.Porosity istheamountofporesinagiven
area.
Themovementofliquids(andair/gases)throughthe
soilisVERY importantforOSTDSconsiderations.
Permeability therateatwhichwatermoves
throughthesoil.
 Gases
Thefourthbasiccomponentof
soil.
Occupiestheporespacethat
doesnothaveliquidinthem.
 SoilCompaction
Compactiondecreases the
permeabilityandporosityofthe
soil
Reduces theabilityofthesoilto
transferliquidsorgases
betweensoilparticles.
Compaction?
 Theprevious
picturewasfroma
MOUNDSYSTEM.
End of presentation

QUESTIONS???