Dirt Conclusion

The soil collected at the beginning of the semester was used as a semester long project. When the soil was first collected I would have initially classified it as a "sugar sand", which is a common name for sand in the area. The soil looked consistent in nature, light in color, and non organic. As the semester progressed, certain tests were performed to further classify the soil for what it was. A grain size distribution curve (Figure 1G) was created for that soil which verified that the soil was indeed mostly sandy in nature. This classification was later strengthened during the compaction test, the soil had a dry unit weight of 15.63 kN/M^3 which falls between the range of a typical sand soil type.

When the soil was initially described by visual inspection it was vague, not until the soil was inspected under a microscope was the true nature of the soil relieved. The soil was initially thought to be greyish brown, but was later determined to be a transparent version of that color. Organic matter seen in the soil was observed in the beginning of the semester, and was later verified under a microscope, although in a greater quantity than initially thought. A rough estimate of the percentages of particle sizes was determined during the visual classification portion of the testing which coincides with the values obtained from the grain size distribution curve. Further inspection of the soil under a microscope revealed that the particles had a very angular shape, something that was not noticed during the initial description of the soil when it was collected.

Both a hydrometer test and a stopper tube test showed that the larger particles (sand) settled out very quickly, followed by the fines, and organic matter floating on top of the water. These test showed a simple percentages of the particles making up the soil that could be compared to the grain sized distribution curve.

Overall the sand was determined to be mostly quartz, this seems reasonable due to the crystalline shape of the particles and the transparent characteristic. I just under four months, my definition of the soil has changed from  "sugar sand" at the beginning of the semester to a more refined definition of a quartz sand at the conclusion of the semester.