A soil described as very cohesive is most likely to contain a large percentage of ________.

A soil described as very cohesive is most likely to contain a large percentage of ________.

• A. Silt
• B. Clay
• C. Sand
• D. Gravel

Answer: (B)

Very cohesive soils stick together because of the minerals that form them. Clay minerals are extremely small and have plate-like particles with charged surfaces that attract water and other particles, creating strong inter-particle bonds. This gives clay-rich soils high cohesion, meaning they hold together and resist crumbling. Sand and gravel are coarse and mainly rely on friction, so they don’t behave cohesively; silt is finer than sand but doesn’t have as strong cohesive forces as clay. Therefore, a soil described as very cohesive would contain a large percentage of clay.

Very cohesive soils stick together because of the minerals that form them. Clay minerals are extremely small and have plate-like particles with charged surfaces that attract water and other particles, creating strong inter-particle bonds. This gives clay-rich soils high cohesion, meaning they hold together and resist crumbling. Sand and gravel are coarse and mainly rely on friction, so they don’t behave cohesively; silt is finer than sand but doesn’t have as strong cohesive forces as clay. Therefore, a soil described as very cohesive would contain a large percentage of clay.