USDA SOIL TEXTURING FIELD FLOW CHART By Midwest GeoSciences Group
(click to enlarge)
"Help yourself to think on your feet in the field"
DETERMINE SOIL TEXTURE WITH CONFIDENCE
Applied to:
Soil Science and Soil Classifying
Agronomic Studies
Septic System Design and Performance for Perc Tests
Supplemental Classification for Engineering Projects
Description and Benefits:
Single-sided, plastic-coated guide for assisting with soil texturing procedures and assigning a Texture Class using the USDA texture triangle. The Flow Chart uses step-wise procedures (adopted from Foth and others, 1992) for estimating sand, silt, and clay content. Use it to:
Classify USDA soil texture easily and rapidly - in the field.
Reproduce consistent soil texturing results (no pun intended).
Determine Subclass and Textural Class Modifiers, when appropriate.
Learn contrasts with other soil classification systems to avoid confusion.
Comes with detailed Instructional Reference Pages
The Flow Chart applies the standard ribboning procedures to estimate the fine-grained fraction followed by placing the fraction within the texture triangle to determine Texture Class (ex: sandy loam). The guide provides instruction for determining Subclass (ex: fine sandy loam) and assigning Textural Class Modifiers for rock fragments greater than 2mm (ex: gravelly silt loam) and organic Compositional Textural Modifiers (ex: peaty sandy clay loam).