Finding the characteristics of your soil

Started by John Raabe, April 26, 2010, 06:36:12 PM

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John Raabe

http://tinyurl.com/2eer4gj

The above link is to an article (in JLC) on understanding the pressures on a basement wall depending on the wall height, height of backfill and type of soil.

Even if you aren't building a basement you will find a helpful chart in this article. Page 4 has a universal Properties of Soil chart. This chart uses the standard two letter soil classification types that are likely to be found on detailed maps at your county agricultural or real property office (call to find out where the soil classification maps are to be found). For each of the 15 soil types there is a rating for drainage, frost heave and expansion. These are important characteristics to know about your property. Hopefully before you buy the land.

Here's what I was able to find about my land:

1949 survey of island soils. Old map done from aerial photographs of south end of the island. We have "friable loamy sand" near the surface and "olive-brown sand" well-graded below 18" to 36", below 36" we have course sand and some small gravel particles. These soils are well drained and do not have potential for frost heave or expansion.
(Our area has a GW general classification.)


None of us are as smart as all of us.

glenn kangiser

Mine looks like it may nearly fit a group II CL with low expansion.  Kind of hard to find claystone in there and the organics are just near the surface.

I am intimate with my soil enough to know it well though... almost too well.... [waiting]

"Always work from the general to the specific." J. Raabe

Glenn's Underground Cabin  http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=151.0

Please put your area in your sig line so we can assist with location specific answers.