clay soil shrinks and swells

navigate by keyword : big called capacity cause clay content cracks dry each fill full greater ground has high higher inch leads more other out particles puffs pull separate shrink shrinkswell shrinking shrinks soil sponge swells technical term thin think tightly translates water weather what which whisper wider

Clay Soil: It shrinks and swells Royalty Free Stock Photo

During dry weather clay particles shrink and pull more tightly to each other. This shrinking is what leads to the cracks in the ground. Think of clay as a big sponge. Fill the sponge full of water and it puffs up; dry out the sponge and it shrinks. The technical term is called shrink-swell capacity. Clay soil has a high shrink-swell capacity. As the particles shrink they separate and cause cracks, from whisper thin to an inch or more. The more cracks and wider the cracks, the greater the shrink-swell capacity of the soil, which translates to a higher clay content.