Types of transported soil

Types of Transported soils 

Transported soils refer to soils that have been moved away from their natural location by natural means, which include water, wind, ice, and gravity. These types of soils are classified according to the transportation mode. Among them are the following:

1. Alluvial soils 

Alluvial soil are transported by flowing water and are generally found in river valleys, floodplains, and deltas. Often very fertile and with good texture, this is a result of the sorting effect of water. There are several subtypes depending on where they occur:

Floodplains: deposits by rivers during floods.

Deltaic : found in deltas that are where rivers meet the sea.

Lacustrine : deposited by lakes.

2. Aeolian Soils (Wind-Transported)

Aeolian soils consist of deposits formed by the movement of loose, well-sorted soils due to wind action. These soils are mainly composed of sand or fine silt.

- Dune sands - typically found in both desert and coastal environments

- Loess - fine silt-sized particles transported by wind, typical of areas such as the Great Plains in the USA or northern China.

3. Glacial Soils (Ice-Transported)

 Materials moved or deposited by ice. These soils are normally made up of material formed from glacial till. Till is the unsorted mixture of clays, silts, sands, and gravels produced by the grinding activity of ice.

Glacial soils are transported and deposited by glaciers or ice sheets. These soils are typically unsorted and consist of a wide range of particle size - from clay to large boulders.

Glacial till: Unsorted material left directly by glaciers.

Glaciofluvial soils: Deposited by meltwater from glaciers, usually sorted due to the action of water.

4. Colluvial Soils (Gravity-Transported)

Colluvial soils are transported through gravity. These soils accumulate at the base of slopes due to landslides, rockfalls, or soil creep.

Talus Coarse fragments, often angular in shape, at the base of a steep slope

Landslide deposits: Soils and rocks displaced by mass movement down a slope.

5. Marine Soils (Sea-Transported)

Marine soils are laid down by ocean currents and waves. They can be very variable in particle size, often found in coastal areas.

Littoral deposits Deposited along shores because of wave action.

Estuarine soils Deposited in estuaries where rivers meet the sea, so rich in organic material.

6. Lacustrine Soils (Lake-Transported)

Lacustrine soils are transported by water and deposited into the lake beds. These soils are fine-grained, usually silts and clays in nature, well sorted because still water conditions prevail.

7. Volcanic Soils (Volcanic ash transported by wind)

These soils are formed from volcanic ash and other materials carried and deposited by the wind following a volcanic eruption. Such soils, often referred to as **tephra**, can be extremely fertile due to the minerals forming such soils.

Conclusion

The types of transported soils and formation processes are of immense importance to civil engineers, as each type of soil has different physical and mechanical properties that may determine constructions, whether the stability of a foundation or other geotechnical aspects of a project. Each kind must be handled and analyzed differently to allow for safe and efficient design.