Identification and Description of Soils Containing Very Coarse Fractions

Abstract

Current practices are reviewed for the identification, description, and classification of soils containing significant very coarse fractions. The review shows that there are serious shortcomings when these fractions are present. To upgrade current practices, improvements are needed in two areas: (1) the grain-size scale and nomenclature; and (2) the basic system for soil identification. First, an improved grain-size scale is proposed that clarifies the very coarse fractions and other nomenclature. Second, it is shown that current U.S.