why does some mud become sticky like peanut butter?

Question

I’ve noticed that plowed fields and dirt roads that trucks take tend to have the stickiest mud. Is it some churning action, in which air is mixed in, that causes this?

In: Physics

Answer 1

It all depends on the content of “fines” in the soil. Fines are soil particles smaller than sand and are silts and clays. The higher the content of silt and clay in the soil, the more cohesive it will be. There are specific types of clays that are more cohesive than others, but in general, all clay will become “sticky” when wet.