Soil and sediment particle size distribution

Soil particle size distribution is a characteristic that affects important soil properties. The pipette method is the traditional means for determining soil particle size distribution (PSD). However it is based on a number of assumptions and is a lengthy procedure with the possibility of considerable differences between operators.

Laser diffraction is now a widely accepted technique for soil particle sizing as it is quick and provides continuous size information between 2,000 and 0.02 microns. Typical analysis time is 2 to 3 mins per sample, depending upon the degree of instrument automation. The use of standard operating procedures for sample handling and treatment means that reproducibility between different operators is very good. Prior to analysis efficient soil dispersion is achieved by a combination of chemical and physical procedures.

Laser-light scattering analysis does not have perfect agreement with classical techniques however it does provide data rapidly and reproducibly for the full range of particle sizes. It is particularly useful for mapping spatial variability of soil PSD over a landscape.

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