IFYLE - International Field Years on Lake Erie - NOAA Great Lake Environmental Research Laboratory - Metadata

Bottom Grain-Size

Bottom samples were collected for particle size analysis at station 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, and 13 during the September and October buoy cruises. Samples were collected from the top 2 cm using either a box corer (stations 7, 8, and 13), a Ponar grab sampler (station 6) and tripods (stations 4, 5, and 12). At stations 7, 8, and 13, separate samples from the very uppermost part of the sediment (about 0.5 cm) were also collected for analysis. The samples were stored in plastic bags and sent to GeoSea consulting (located in Vancouver BC0 for analysis. GeoSea uses a Malvern Mastersizer 2000 laser diffraction counter to analyze the size distribution of particle less than 0.1 mm, and sieves to analyze the coarser material. Results are presented in phi units. A table is attached to convert from phi units to mm.

For further information, contact:

Nathan Hawley
NOAA-GLERL, 2205 Commonwealth Blvd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48105-2945
(734)741-2273

U.S. Standard Sieve Mesh Number	Diameter (mm)	Diameter (microns)	Phi Value	Wentworth Size Class	Sediment Type
5	4.00		-2.00	Granule	GRAVEL
6	3.36		-1.75	Granule	GRAVEL
7	2.83		-1.50	Granule	GRAVEL
8	2.38		-1.25	Granule	GRAVEL
10	2.00		-1.00	Granule	GRAVEL
12	1.68		-.075	Very Coarse Sand	SAND
14	1.68		-0.50	Very Coarse Sand	SAND
16	1.19		-0.25	Very Coarse Sand	SAND
18	1.00		0.00	Very Coarse Sand	SAND
20	0.84	840	0.25	Coarse Sand	SAND
25	0.71	710	0.50	Coarse Sand	SAND
30	0.59	590	0.75	Coarse Sand	SAND
35	0.50	500	1.00	Coarse Sand	SAND
40	0.42	420	1.25	Medium Sand	SAND
45	0.35	350	1.50	Medium Sand	SAND
50	0.30	300	1.75	Medium Sand	SAND
60	0.25	250	2.00	Medium Sand	SAND
70	0.21	210	2.25	Fine Sand	SAND
80	0.177	177	2.50	Fine Sand	SAND
100	0.149	149	2.75	Fine Sand	SAND
120	0.125	125	3.00	Fine Sand	SAND
140	0.105	105	3.25	Very Fine Sand	SAND
170	0.088	88	3.50	Very Fine Sand	SAND
200	0.074	74	3.75	Very Fine Sand	SAND
230	0.0625	62.5	4.00	Very Fine Sand	SAND
270	0.053	53	4.25	Coarse Silt	MUD
325	0.044	44	4.50	Coarse Silt	MUD
	0.037	37	4.75	Coarse Silt	MUD
	0.031	31	5.00	Coarse Silt	MUD
	0.0156	15.6	6.00	Medium Silt Fine Silt Very Fine Silt	MUD
	0.0078	7.8	7.00	Medium Silt Fine Silt Very Fine Silt	MUD
	0.0039	3.9	8.00	Medium Silt Fine Silt Very Fine Silt	MUD
	0.002	2	9.00	Clay*	MUD
	0.00098	0.98	10.00	Clay*	MUD
	0.00049	0.49	11.00	Clay*	MUD
	0.00024	0.24	12.00	Clay*	MUD
	0.00012	0.12	13.00	Clay*	MUD
	0.00006	0.06	14.00	Clay*	MUD