SILTY SOIL: CHARACTERISTICS, LOCATION AND USES - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The silty soil is one that is made more by the slime, a pellet whose size does not exceed 0.05 mm. Given its small and light size, it is transported through air currents and rivers and is deposited in different areas, especially those close to river beds.

Silty soil corresponds to one of the three classifications of soils according to their texture, the other two being sandy and clay soils. The sandy soil is characterized by having a thicker texture, they are rough and little adhesive. On the other hand, clay soil is soapy when wet and is quite waterproof.

Silty soils are also composed of gravel, clay and sand particles; probably, it is this peculiarity that makes them so fertile and easy to work with. However, for a silty soil to be considered as such, it must contain at least 80% silt.

Silty soil characteristics

The fragile and soft characteristic of the slime allows it to travel with wind and water. During this journey, the particles get smaller and smaller, due to the impact they suffer with different surfaces on the road and other chemical processes that occur during this journey.

Silt is capable of completely changing the appearance of landscapes, since after its journey it can be deposited in spaces such as lagoons or wetlands.

By increasing the size of this reservoir, the water that is there ends up moving to another body of water. In fact, many deltas have originated as a consequence of silt transfer and deposition.

Granulated

The grains of silty soils are characterized by being small: slightly larger than grains of clay, but slightly smaller than grains of fine sand.

The silt is characterized because all its granules are more or less the same size, taking into account all its dimensions; this differentiates it from clay, whose grains are more irregular with each other.

The particles that make up the silty soil are light, which is why this type of granules are easily transported by wind and water.

Easy to mold

They are usually very dark brown in color and can be a bit like clay soils to the touch as both are easy to mold and sticky when wet. However, silty soils are brittle when dry, unlike clay soils, which are firm and compact.

Silty soil has softness and instability when wet, but being dry it is characterized by having a texture like that of dust, because it melts.

Fertile

This type of soil is characterized by being very fertile; This is because the organic matter it has has a high rate of decomposition.

As a consequence of this, a large amount of nutrients is generated and, due to the characteristics of silty soils, these nutrients are retained for longer in said soil.

Silty soils are very easy to work and cultivate. They are soft soils that drain water and do not appear plastic when wet.

Location

Silty soils can be found especially on the edges of rivers, because it is especially through these that they move from one place to another.

This type of soil usually appears around river beds, or in spaces that have suffered floods in previous times.

A very clear example of a silty soil, with all the characteristics that compose it, is the Nile River Delta, in Egypt.

Crops

Silty soil is characterized by allowing the cultivation of almost any plant or food, except for those organisms that need very dry soils for their development. This is so because the silt allows the soil to retain enough water and also facilitates constant ventilation, since the air circulates freely between the particles.

Soils rich in silt, as already seen, are usually found on the banks of rivers. For this reason, these spaces are so fertile and suitable for growing different foods.

The aforementioned Nile River Delta is considered one of the most fertile areas, prosperous in crops for at least a thousand years.

The fertility of silty soils can be affected when the same land is cultivated in excess, because this makes the water filtration process difficult in times of rain.

And, if this overgrown soil is not moistened enough, it can be very stiff and difficult to grow. As long as it is kept well moist and over-cultivation is avoided, silty soil will offer an important fertile possibility.

On loamy soils, lettuce, rice, cabbage, and artichoke, for example, can be grown. And trees like willow and poplar grow.

Silty soil for constructions

Just as silty soil has been found to be ideal for agriculture due to its high level of fertility, it is also important to note that it may not be the ideal soil for the construction of houses and other structures.

Silty soil is characterized by being wet and cold, because it retains water for a long time. This makes it a soil that drains slowly and with instability. So a silty soil can expand as a consequence of moisture retention, it can constantly collide with a structure and, over time, weaken it.

In fact, recent research has determined that there is a possibility that silt plays an important role in soil liquefaction (the weakening of the surface after an earthquake).

Liquefaction can be fatal because, as the soil that is the base of the structure weakens, it can collapse.

References

1. "The influence of silt on soil liquefaction" (23 January 2017) in Community Information Service on Research and Development. Retrieved on August 22, 2017 from the Community Information Service on Research and Development: cordis.europa.eu.
2. "Soils and texture" (March 7, 2016) in Aprender de Vino. Retrieved on August 22, 2017 from Learn about Wine:learningdevino.es.
3. "Characteristics of different soil types" in Väderstad. Retrieved on August 22, 2017 from Väderstad: vaderstad.com.
4. “Different soils and how they affect foundations” in RamJack. Retrieved on August 22, 2017 from RamJack: ramjack.com.
5. "Silt" in National Geographic. Retrieved on August 22, 2017 from National Geographic: nationalgeographic.org.