what type of soil is the strongest?[read details]?

Question

im doing a project about erosion in diffrent types of soil,
my experiment is 2 hills, one hill of clay and one of dirt, which one do you think will have the most effect of erosion [by water] which one will wear out first? if you have evidence please leave the link on your answer. thnxx ^_^

Answer 1

First of all, stop calling clay and dirt "soil". Soil is the organic material which forms a matrix with clay or dirt. Soil will actually outlast clay or dirt because 1. It can absorb a lot of water before becoming saturated and 2. It promotes the growth of deep rooting plants which stabilize the structure.

If you are talking clay versus dirt then Kaci is correct.

Answer 2

I would say it would depend on the density (how packed down it is) and also on the grade of the hill and the amount of runoff. If you are performing this experiment as a science fair project or something similar, I would definitely take these into consideration when you report your findings. Clay is usually more stable than regular soil, but depending on the amount of runoff, it becomes a loose sludge that can move easily. Soil has less of a density and has smaller, more seperate particals, therefore making it more susceptable to erosion. But under the right density conditions can be very stable.
So for your project, I think that you should monitor not only the erosion, but also the amount of water and saturation for each mound, the amount of soil in each mound, the density of each mound (how packed down it is) and the grade (angle at which it is running off the mound).

Answer 3

Clay erodes very quickly in geologic time. They form the geomorphologic feature call "badlands". The most famous in the USA are in South Dakota, but badland topography can be spotted in many locations. The badlands are called that becuase the erosion is so fast, soil cannot form and therefore no plants grow in the badland region. The ground is bare clay rock.

Soil, while lighter in weight because it is aerated, will resist eroision. That is because it supports plants which send down roots creating a very durable matrix. If for some reason the plant cover is completely removed, as may happen in farming, the light soil can erode by wind, as in the "dust bowl" of the 1930s. but that is not a normal geologic regimen.