Quantitative Test

In the quantitative test of soil texture after 24 hours the soil sample and water filled 81 milliliters of the graduated cylinder, and the soil separated into three distinct layers. There were 15 milliliters of sand, 18% of the soil, at the bottom of the cylinder, then 25 milliliters of silt in the middle, 31% of the soil, then 8 milliliters of clay at the top, 10% of the soil, and the rest of cylinder was filled with water. Using a clay triangle, I can conclude that our soil was silty loam, which concurs with the results obtained from the qualitative method of the soil texture test. These results do agree with the soil dry percolation rate test, because the sand and clay percentages were relatively close in the soil content. Many of the other groups had similar soil samples when compared to our sample because they were obtained from the same area, which has mostly the same type of soil throughout. Soil is formed when parent material such as lava, ash, rock, or sediments is broken down through weathering. Biological activity allows for the accumulation of organic matter later on. Soils are unique to each area based on parent material, climate, living organisms, topography, and time. The plants in this area most likely prefer the silty loam soil type because many of the groups soils had this type of soil and is needed for successful plant growth.