Question

a soil sample contains 40% silt, 45% sand, and 15% clay. what type of soil do you have? options: sandy clay loam, loam, silt loam

Explanation:

Step1: Recall soil texture triangle rules

Soil texture is determined by the percentage of sand, silt, and clay. For loam: sand (23 - 52%), silt (28 - 50%), clay (7 - 27%). For sandy clay loam: sand > 45%, clay 20 - 35%. For silt loam: silt > 50%, sand < 27%, clay < 27%.

Step2: Check the given percentages

Given: silt = 40%, sand = 45%, clay = 15%.

• Sand (45%) is within loam's sand range (23 - 52%).
• Silt (40%) is within loam's silt range (28 - 50%).
• Clay (15%) is within loam's clay range (7 - 27%).
• Sandy clay loam needs sand > 45% (here sand = 45%, not >), so no.
• Silt loam needs silt > 50% (here silt = 40%, not >), so no.

Answer:

loam (the option labeled "loam")