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In geotechnical engineering, soil structure describes the arrangement of the solid parts of the soil and of the pore space located between them. It is determined by how individual soil granules clump, bind together, and aggregate, resulting in the arrangement of soil pores between them.
- Structure
- Shapes
- Management Impacts
Soil structure is the shape in which soil particles group together and form aggregates. A soil aggregate, or conglomerate of sand, silt, clay, and sometimes organic material, may be a variety of different shapes. Structure is important because it allows critical areas of open space, vital for water to move, roots to grow, and soil organisms. Consid...
Columnar
Columnar are a special type of structure created when sodium impacts a prismatic structure. A ‘muffin top’ or ‘popcorn’ looking appearance on the top of a prism develops from sodium dispersing particles. These are agronomically challenging soils to manage. Both water and roots will likely have problems moving through this soil easily.
Massive or Single grained
These units of ‘non structure’ indicates there has been limited changes to this soil since deposition. In glacial till materials, a large piece will likely break between the points of pressure applied, rather than falling apart on pre-determined lines. A midwestern soil at perhaps five feet of depth may not have developed structure because this takes something acting on it. Roots, freeze-thaw, wetting-drying and other factors are less active here, slowing down changes. For single-grained soil...
Since plant growth tends to increase soil structure, more plant growth tends to lead to a better structure. In prairie ecosystems, a strong granular structure is expected. Tillage can have negative impacts on soil structure, particularly when done in poor (generally too wet) conditions. Consider the building construction of the earlier example in t...
Soil structure is the spatial arrangement of solids and pores at scales smaller than the soil horizon, and consists of clusters of solids and pores called aggregates, that have hierarchical, emergent properties, and memory that define their functions. From: Geoderma, 2023
Nov 8, 2024 · This article covers the structure, composition, and classification of soils and how these factors affect soil’s role in the global ecosystem. In addition, the two most important phenomena that degrade soils, erosion and pollution, are discussed.
- Garrison Sposito
- Soil is the biologically active and porous medium that has developed in the uppermost layer of Earth’s crust. It serves as the reservoir of water a...
- The grain size of soil particles are categorized into three groups: clay, silt, and sand. Clay measures less than 0.002 mm (0.0008 inch) in diamete...
- The evolution of soils and their properties is called soil formation, and according to pedologists, five fundamental soil formation processes influ...
- Soils have a unique structural characteristic that distinguishes them from mere earth materials: a vertical sequence of layers produced by the comb...
Learn about the arrangement of soil particles and their aggregates into certain patterns, called structure. Find out the types, classes, grades, formation and effects of soil structure, and how it is influenced by climate, organic matter and other factors.
Soil structure describes the arrangement of soil particles and soil aggregates. Soil structure is an important physical property that influences water and nutrient flow, aeration to plants and microbes, and resistance to soil erosion and compaction, through which it affects plant growth.
Structure - Soil structure is the arrangement of soil particles into small clumps, called "peds". Much like the ingredients in cake batter bind together to form a cake, soil particles (sand, silt, clay, and organic matter) bind together to form peds.
