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Field Guide Template

This document provides a summary of terms and classification systems used to describe soil properties and composition. It includes: 1. An outline of properties to describe in a soil sample, including type, group name, color, density, plasticity, moisture, structure, angularity/mineralogy, and other notes. 2. The Unified Soil Classification System which sorts soils into groups based on grain size and plasticity characteristics. 3. Descriptions of grain size classifications using sieve sizes. 4. Methods for assessing density, plasticity, moisture content, structure, angularity/roundness of soil samples. 5. Tables with conversions for units commonly used in soil analysis and well construction

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Alberto Ricardo
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287 views2 pages

Field Guide Template

This document provides a summary of terms and classification systems used to describe soil properties and composition. It includes: 1. An outline of properties to describe in a soil sample, including type, group name, color, density, plasticity, moisture, structure, angularity/mineralogy, and other notes. 2. The Unified Soil Classification System which sorts soils into groups based on grain size and plasticity characteristics. 3. Descriptions of grain size classifications using sieve sizes. 4. Methods for assessing density, plasticity, moisture content, structure, angularity/roundness of soil samples. 5. Tables with conversions for units commonly used in soil analysis and well construction

Uploaded by

Alberto Ricardo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ORDER OF DESCRIPTIONS:

1. USCS Type 2. Group Name 3. Color 4. Density/Consistency 5. Plasticity 6. Moisture 7. Structure


8. Angularity/Mineralogy 9. Miscellaneous
Example Description:
SM Silty sand, pale brown (10YR6/3), loose, non-plastic, moist, laminated (4-mm thick laminations), sub-rounded quartz and feldspar

UNIFIED SOIL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
GRAVELS GRAVELS GW Well graded gravels, gravel-sand mixtures, little or no fines
COARSE- <50% coarse <5% fines GP Poorly graded gravels, gravel-sand mixtures, little or no fines
GRAINED fraction passes GRAVELS GM Silty gravels, poorly graded gravel-sand-silt mixtures
SOILS #4 sieve with >12% fines GC Clayey gravels, poorly graded gravel-sand-clay mixtures
<50% SANDS SANDS SW Well graded sands, gravelly sands, little or no fines
passes 50% coarse with little or no fines SP Poorly graded sands, gravelly sands, little or no fines
#200 sieve fraction passes SANDS SM Silty sands, sand-gravel-silt mixtures
#4 sieve with >12% fines SC Clayey sands, sand-gravel-clay mixtures
ML
Inorganic silts and very fine sands, silty or clayey fine sands,
silts with slight plasticity
FINE-
GRAINED
CL
Inorganic clays of low to medium plasticity, gravelly clays,
sandy clays, silty clays, lean clays
SOILS
SILTS & CLAYS
Liquid Limit <50
OL Organic silts and silty clays of low plasticity
50% MH Inorganic silts, micaceous or diatomaceous fine sand or silt
passes CH Inorganic clays of high plasticity, fat clays
#200 sieve OH Organic silts and clays of medium-to-high plasticity

SILTS & CLAYS
Liquid Limit >50
PT Peat, humus, swamp soils with high organic content
NOTE: Well graded (wide range of grain sizes) =poorly sorted; poorly graded (predominantly one grain size) =well sorted

GRAIN SIZE
GRAIN SIZE
DESCRIPTION SIEVE SIZE
mm in.
Boulders >12 >300 >12
Cobbles 12 - 3 300 - 75 12 - 3
Gravel - Coarse 3 - 0.75 75 - 19 3 - 0.75
Fine 0.75 - #4 19 - 4.75 0.75 - 0.19
Sand - Coarse #4 - #10 4.75 - 2 0.19 - 0.079
Medium #10 - #40 2 - 0.425 0.079 - 0.017
Fine #40 - #200 0.425 - 0.075 0.017 - 0.0029
Fines Passing #200 <0.075 <0.0029

COLOR DEPTH TO WATER
Assign color using Munsell Soil Color Chart (1992) if possible.
Provide name and color code in parentheses.
Depth to first water (time and date)

Depth to water after drilling (time and date)


DENSITY
Granular
SPT, N
(blows/ft)
Relative
Density (%)
Field Test
Very loose 4 0-15 Easily penetrated with -in reinforcing rod pushed by hand.
Loose 4-10 15-35 Easily penetrated with -in reinforcing rod pushed by hand.
Medium dense 10-30 35-65 Penetrated a foot with -in reinforcing rod driven by 5-lb hammer.
Dense 30-50 65-85 Penetrated a foot with -in reinforcing rod driven by 5-lb hammer.
Very dense 50 85-100 Penetrated a few with -in reinforcing rod driven by 5-lb hammer.

Cohesive Field Test For Cohesive Soil
SPT, N
(blows/ft)
Undrained
Shear Strength
C (psf)
Uncon Comp
Strength
q
u
(psf)
Very soft
Easily penetrated several inches by thumb. Extrudes between thumb and
fingers when squeezed.
<2 250 500
Soft Easily penetrated 1 inch by thumb. Molded by light finger pressure. 2-4 250-500 500-1000
Medium
stiff
Penetrated over 1/2 inch by thumb with moderate effort. Molded by strong
finger pressure.
4-8 500-1000 1000-2000
Stiff Indented about 1/2 inch by thumb but penetrated only with great effort. 8-15 1000-2000 2000-4000
Very stiff Readily indented by thumbnail. 15-30 2000-4000 4000-8000
Hard Indented with difficulty by thumbnail. >30 >4000 >8000
PLASTICITY
Description Field Test
Non-plastic Soil falls apart at any water content.
Slightly Plastic Soil easily crushed with fingers; thread is rolled with difficulty.
Plastic Soil difficult to crush with fingers; thread is rolled easily up to the plastic limit, failure after reaching the plastic limit.
Very Plastic Soil impossible to crush with fingers; thread is rolled easily, does not fail after reaching the plastic limit.
MOISTURE CONTENT
Description Field Test
Dry Absence of moisture, dusty, dry to the touch.
Moist Damp but no visible water.
Wet Visible free water.
STRUCTURE
Stratified (layers 6 mm thick) Columnar Granular (single grain, massive)
Laminated (layers <6 mm thick) Prismatic Homogeneous
Platy Blocky (angular, subangular)
ANGULARITY/ROUNDNESS*
Very Angular Angular Sub-Angular Sub-Rounded Rounded
Well
Rounded
*Modified after Powers, M . C., 1953, Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 23, p. 118
MISCELLANEOUS
Organics, carbon, vegetation Cementation Heaving sands
Coloration (staining, mottling) Drilling rate Loss of drilling fluid
Odor Rig behavior Caving/sloughing
Sch 40 PVC
CASING VOLUMES BORING VOLUMES CONVERSIONS
Diameter
(In)
Volume
(Gal/Ft)
Hole Diameter
(In)
Volume
(Gal/Ft) MULTIPLY BY TO OBTAIN
2 0.17 7.25 2.14 in 2.54 cm
4 0.66 7.75 2.45 cm 0.3937 in
6 1.50 8.25 2.78 cm 3.2808 E-2 ft
10.25 4.29 ft 0.3048 m
12.25 6.13 m 3.2808 ft
mi 1.6093 km
WELL VOLUME CALCULATION EXAMPLE: km 0.6214 mi
Well Volume = Annular Volume + Casing Volume cu in 5.79 E-4 cu ft
Annular Volume = (Boring Volume - Casing Volume) x Sand Pack Porosity cu ft 7.48 gal
EXAMPLE: Assume 10.25 dia. hole, 4 dia. casing, cu m 264.17 gal
30% sand pack porosity, 8 water column gal 3.785 liter
Annular Volume = (4.29 gal/ft - 0.66 gal/ft) x 0.30 x 8 ft = 8.71 gal. liter 0.264 gal
Casing Volume = 0.66 gal/ft x 8 ft = 5.28 gal. C 1.8(C)+32 F
One Well Volume = 8.71 gal + 5.28 gal = 13.99 gal. F (F-32)/1.8 C
gal 8.33 lbs

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