Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
The Soil Texture Pyramid
Source: Natural Resources Conservation Service
Soils are categorized into three groups: clay, silt and sand. Soil texture depends on the
proportion of particles from each of these groups. For example, loam has similar
proportions of all three classes of particles. While a sandy loam is higher in sand, a clay
loam is higher in clay.
TheUniversityofMinnesota(UMN)AgriculturalExtensionoffersthefollowingdetailson
soil structure:
“Soil particles rarely exist by themselves. Typically they will naturally come together into
tinyclumpscalledmicro-aggregatesthateventuallybindtogetherwithotherstoformlarger
aggregates. In ideal soil conditions, the structure will consist of a wide range of aggregate
and pore sizes.”
Soil Types & Properties
As described above, a wide array of soil combinations are possible by mixing different
types of soil together into various forms of aggregates. Below are some basic
characteristics of the different soil types:
