Loam

loam, soil composed of sand, silt, clay, and organic matter in evenly mixed particles of various sizes. More fertile than sandy soils, loam is not stiff and tenacious like clay soils. Its porosity allows high moisture retention and air circulation. The popular confusion of loam with humus is probably due to the superior quality of both soils. According to the preponderance of their ingredients, loams are classified as sandy, clay, or silt loams. Most soils of agricultural importance are some type of loam.

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loam

Rich, friable (crumbly) soil with nearly equal parts of sand and silt, and somewhat less clay. The term is sometimes used imprecisely to mean earth or soil in general. Loam in subsoil receives varied minerals and amounts of clay by leaching (percolation) from the topsoil above.

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loam

1. rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand, clay, and decaying organic material

2. a paste of clay and sand used for making moulds in a foundry, plastering walls, etc.

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loam [lōm]

(geology)

Soil mixture of sand, silt, clay, and humus.

(metallurgy)

Molding material consisting of sand, silt, and clay used over backup material for producing massive castings, usually of iron or steel.

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loam

In building construction, a mixture composed chiefly of moistened clay, sand, and silt, or some mixture including these ingredients. Once used as a mortar when combined with lime, or used as a plaster with the addition of chopped straw.

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Loam 

a friable sandy and clayey sedimentary rock containing 10–30 percent (by weight) clay particles smaller than 0.005 mm. In soil science, loam with a higher clay content is called heavy loam, and that with less clay is called light loam. A distinction is made between coarse sandy, fine sandy, and silty loam, depending on the content of (1) sand grains of the corresponding size and (2) silty, or aleurite, particles.

The mineralogical composition of loam is varied: the more sandy loan has a high quartz content, whereas the more clayey type contains clay minerals, such as kaolinite, illite, and montmorillonite. Loam is sometimes rich in organic substances; in arid regions it may be rich in water-soluble salts. The origin of loam is usually continental; the corresponding ocean deposits are called sandy or aleurite clays. Loam is often used as a raw material for the production of brick.