HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Gee, G. W. Articles by Bauder, J. W. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Gee, G. W. Articles by Bauder, J. W. Agricola Articles by Gee, G. W. Articles by Bauder, J. W.

Particle Size Analysis by Hydrometer: A Simplified Method for Routine Textural Analysis and a Sensitivity Test of Measurement Parameters¹

ABSTRACT

A simple modification of the Day (1965) hydrometer method is suggested for routine textural analysis. The simplified method requires no calibration, graphs or tables and uses a weighted average of the 1.5-hour and 24-hour readings to determine the 2µm clay fraction. The relationship is:
where

P_2µm = summation percentage for the 2µm clay fraction.

P₂₄, P_1.5 = summation percentage for settling time of 24 hour and 1.5 hour, respectively.

K = weighting factor, used to approximate the actual relation of the summation percentage curve over the clay percentage range of interest.

This equation was found to be satisfactory in the range of 5% P_2µm 60% by weight for over 70 North Dakota soil and subsoil materials when K=0.876.

Sensitivity analyses were performed for the Day, Bouyoucos, and the Simplified Day hydrometer methods to determine which of several measured parameters contribute to the greatest possible error; hence which parameters should be controlled with the greatest precision. The hydrometer scale reading error contributes more error than any other single parameter.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director, North Dakota Agric. Exp. Stn., Fargo, North Dakota, as Journal Article no. 990. This work supported in part by Old West Regional Commission Grant no. 10470016 and by U.S. Dep. of Energy Contract JM-05-01-03.

² Senior Research Scientist, Water and Land Resource Department, Battelle Northwest Laboratories, Richland, WA 99352, and Assistant Professor, Dep. of Soil Science, Univ. of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, respectively.

Received for publication February 12, 1979. Accepted for publication April 19, 1979.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. Sopena, C. Maqueda, and E. Morillo Influence of Soil Characteristics and Formulation on Alachlor Dissipation in Soil Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., May 1, 2008; 72(3): 767 - 774. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. A. Wood, T. Meixner, P. J. Shouse, and E. B. Allen Altered Ecohydrologic Response Drives Native Shrub Loss under Conditions of Elevated Nitrogen Deposition J. Environ. Qual., January 3, 2006; 35(1): 76 - 92. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. W. Tate, M. D. G. C. Pereira, and E. R. Atwill Efficacy of Vegetated Buffer Strips for Retaining Cryptosporidium parvum J. Environ. Qual., November 1, 2004; 33(6): 2243 - 2251. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Eshel, G. J. Levy, U. Mingelgrin, and M. J. Singer Critical Evaluation of the Use of Laser Diffraction for Particle-Size Distribution Analysis Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., May 1, 2004; 68(3): 736 - 743. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. C. Si and R. E. Farrell Scale-Dependent Relationship between Wheat Yield and Topographic Indices: A Wavelet Approach Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., March 1, 2004; 68(2): 577 - 587. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. R. Atwill, L. Hou, B. M. Karle, T. Harter, K. W. Tate, and R. A. Dahlgren Transport of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts through Vegetated Buffer Strips and Estimated Filtration Efficiency Appl. Envir. Microbiol., November 1, 2002; 68(11): 5517 - 5527. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Bird, W. R. Horwath, A. J. Eagle, and C. van Kessel Immobilization of Fertilizer Nitrogen in Rice: Effects of Straw Management Practices Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., July 1, 2001; 65(4): 1143 - 1152. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				O. C. Devevre and W. R. Horwath Stabilization of Fertilizer Nitrogen-15 into Humic Substances in Aerobic vs. Waterlogged Soil Following Straw Incorporation Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J., March 1, 2001; 65(2): 499 - 510. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]