lab3 #7a

How do you calculate the volume of just the coarse fragments when the particle density you are given pertains to the soil as a whole?

Hi Sara, can you clarify if you are asking generically or with respect to a specific question?

Generically: IF you have coarse fragments in a soil (e.g. forest soil which you have sampled using the excavation method), to determine the volume of coarse fragments you can 1) weight the coarse fragments (g) and then divide by the particle density (g/cm³).

A particle density of 2.65 g/cm³ assumes that the mineral particles in the soil (including coarse fragments) are dominated by silicate minerals such as quartz and feldspar (which are very common in the earth's crust). As a general rule this particle density is a reasonable assumption for the mineral (inorganic) component of soils.