Grain size is the average size of the grains in a sediment sample. It is also known as the particle size.
Sand consists of grains of particle size ranging from 0.0625 to 2 mm (0.002–0.08 in.). It pertains to particles that lie between silt and granules on the Wentworth scale of grain size. Sand size class ranges from −1.0 to 4.0 (phi).
Silt consists of grains of particle size ranging from 0.008 to 0.0625 mm (0.0003–0.002 in.). It is intermediate in size between sand and clay. Silt size class ranges from 4.0 to 8.0 (phi).
Clay consists of grains of particle size between silt and colloid. These include any of the various hydrous aluminum silicate minerals that are plastic, are expansive, and have ion-exchange capacities. Clay size class ranges from 8 (phi) and onwards.
Introduction
Sediment is made up of loose particles of...
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Department of Chemical Engineering, Jadavpur University, 700 032, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Gautam Kumar Das
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Michael J. Kennish
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Das, G.K. (2016). Sediment Grain Size. In: Kennish, M.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Estuaries. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. //doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8801-4_148