Arrange the following types of soil in increasing order based on the size of the mineral particles in them.

Options

A. `"Silt"ltClay lt"Fine sand" `
B. `Claylt "Silt" lt"Fine sand" `
C. `"Fine sand"ltClay lt"Silt" `
D. `"Silt"lt"Fine sand" lt Clay `

Answer

To arrange the types of soil in increasing order based on the size of the mineral particles, we need to understand the size classifications of the soil particles:

1. **Clay**: The particle diameter of clay is less than 0.002 mm (0.0008 inches). This makes clay the finest soil particle.

2. **Silt**: The particle diameter of silt ranges from 0.002 mm to 0.05 mm (0.0008 inches to 0.002 inches). Silt is coarser than clay but finer than sand.

3. **Fine Sand**: The particle diameter of fine sand ranges from 0.05 mm to 2 mm (0.002 inches to 0.08 inches). Fine sand has the largest particle size among the three types of soil we are considering.

Now, to arrange these types of soil in increasing order based on the size of their mineral particles, we have:

- **Clay** (smallest particle size)
- **Silt** (medium particle size)
- **Fine Sand** (largest particle size)

Thus, the correct arrangement in increasing order is: **Clay < Silt < Fine Sand**.

The correct answer is option B: **Clay, Silt, Fine Sand**.