ASTM_D_5715_-_14.pdf

Designation:D571514Standard Practice forEstimating the Degree of Humification of Peat and OtherOrganic Soils(Visual/Manual Method)1This standard is issued under the fixed designation D5715;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope*1.1 This practice covers the visual determination of thedegree of humification of peat and other highly organic soils.This practice is not used for the determination of the degree oforganic decomposition of organic matter in mineral soils.1.2 This practice offers a set of instructions for performingone or more specific operations.This document cannot replaceeducation or experience and should be used in conjunctionwith professional judgment.Not all aspects of this practice maybe applicable in all circumstances.This ASTM standard is notintended to represent or replace the standard of care by whichthe adequacy of a given professional service must be judged,nor should this document be applied without consideration ofa projects many unique aspects.The word“Standard”in thetitle of this document means only that the document has beenapproved though the ASTM consensus process.1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2D653 Terminology Relating to Soil,Rock,and ContainedFluidsD2944 Practice of Sampling Processed Peat MaterialsD2974 Test Methods for Moisture,Ash,and Organic Matterof Peat and Other Organic SoilsD4427 Classification of Peat Samples by Laboratory Testing3.Terminology3.1 Definitions:3.1.1 For definitions of common technical terms in thispractice,refer to Terminology D653.3.2 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:3.2.1 degree of humificationas defined by this practice,degree of humification refers to any one of ten categories(indicated by the letter“H”),with H1 being the least decom-posed and H10 being the most decomposed.This terminologyactually refers to the present visual composition of the peat andhighly organic soils.3.2.2 organic soilssoil with a high content of carbon-based compounds.In general,organic soils are very compress-ible and have poor load sustaining properties.3.2.3 peata naturally-occurring highly organic substancederived primarily from plant materials.Peat is distinguishedfrom other organic soil materials by its lower ash content(lessthan 25%ash by dry mass-see Practice D2974)and from otherphytogenic material of higher rank(that is,lignite coal)by itslower calorific value on a water saturated basis.4.Significance and Use4.1 The purpose of this practice is to standardize the routinedescription of peat and other organic soils for various uses(such as,peatland inventories and resource evaluations).Thispractice should be used to supplement other field information,such as,site location,surface morphology,surface vegetation,water table,moisture content,fiber content,wood content,andvisually identifiable plant types and parts.NOTE1This standard is a visual/manual method and is not meant toreplace the more precise method of laboratory classification of peat(seeClassification D4427).It should also be noted,this practice is independentof the determination of whether a particluar deposit contains peat that isdefined in Classification D4427 on the basis of laboratory determination ofash content(see Test Method D2974).5.Sample5.1 The sample used for this practice can be collected usingpiston coring devices or simply as a grab sample(that is,byhand)or a block sample by any of a number of means as longas it still retains its original in-situ composition(that is,moisture as well as solid components).NOTE2In practice,the sample is collected using a field reconnais-sance peat sampler;but it may be collected by a more sophisticated pistonsampler.1This test method is under the jurisdiction ofASTM Committee D18 on Soil andRock and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee D18.22 on Soil as a Mediumfor Plant Growth.Current edition approved Nov.1,2014.Published November 2014.Originallyapproved in 1995.Last previous edition approved in 2006 as D5715 00(2006).DOI:10.1520/D57150-14.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standardCopyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 5.2 Samples should be shipped and stored in containers andmain