silt
Sign in to savethumb|Windrow of windblown silt, Northwest Territories, Canada|right Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when dry, and lacks plasticity when wet. Silt can also be felt by the tongue as granular when placed on the front teeth (even when mixed with clay particles).
AI overview
Silt is a fine granular material made mostly of broken quartz grains, sized between sand and clay, that can occur as soil or suspended in water and feels floury when dry. It matters because understanding silt's properties—including how it behaves when wet or dry—is important for soil science, construction, water management, and other practical applications.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Description
- Definitions
- Occurrence
- Sources
- Human impact
- Environmental impacts
- Culture
- See also
- References
thumb|Windrow of windblown silt, Northwest Territories, Canada|right Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when dry, and lacks plasticity when wet. Silt can also be felt by the tongue as granular when placed on the front teeth (even when mixed with clay particles).
Silt is a common material, making up 45% of average modern mud. It is found in many river deltas and as wind-deposited accumulations, particularly in central Asia, north China, and North America. It is produced in both very hot climates (through such processes as collisions of quartz grains in dust storms) and very cold climates (through such processes as glacial grinding of quartz grains.)