Fat Clays

08/18/26

“What type of clay soils are very sensitive to moisture?”

Clays are one of the fundamental soil types in the world. Some clays have a very wide Atterberg limit, so they exhibit plastic behavior most of the time. These so-called Fat Clays are highly moldable and will change size with water applications very sensitively. Because the pores in fat clays are very small, water will move out slowly under applied loads. It’s not recommended to build basements in areas with fat clay soils, such as in Houston, Texas, because the changing volume from water will cause structural damage.

• Earth/Climate science
• Engineering
• Urban Systems