A silty sediment deposited by wind and often formed near glaciers. Loess soils are easily eroded, carrying away valuable nutrients and organic matter. Loess soils are found in Western Iowa along the Missouri River. The percentage of the rock or soil mass within the volume occupied by both the solid mass and the pore space. Bulk density is affected by the amount of organic matter present, the degree of compaction, and the total amount of water present.
Bulk density affects the ease with which contaminants move through the rock or soil.
The average particle density of all the particles in a representative sample of soil or rock. Used with bulk density, grain density aids in estimating porosity. A measure of the liquid flow rate through a porous rock or soil. As the hydraulic conductivity of a rock or soil increases, so does the rate at which contaminants move. The ratio between the amount of water contained in pore spaces and the total amount of solid particles.