A soil material with a porosity of 50% would most likely be classified as what?

A soil material with a porosity of 50% suggests that a significant amount of the soil's volume consists of void spaces, which can hold water and air. In soil classification, a porosity of 50% is indicative of fine-grained soils, such as silts and clays. These soils typically have lower permeability compared to coarse-grained soils like sands and gravels but can retain a considerable amount of moisture due to their fine particles.

Being classified as CL refers specifically to "Clay" in the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS). Clays are known for high porosity, which often aligns with a porosity around 50%. This characteristic, along with the properties of clay, such as cohesion and plasticity, further solidifies their classification.

While high permeability is often associated with soils with lower porosity, like gravels and sands, a porosity of 50% does not fit that profile. Similarly, a hydraulic conductivity of 100 gdp/ft² suggests rapid water movement through the soil, which is typically not characteristic of soils with high clay content, which have low hydraulic conductivities.

Thus, associating a soil with such a high porosity as a clay (CL) accurately depicts its likely physical