How far down do you have to dig to find clay?

Question

I am trying to find if there is any clay on my property. I have dug a hole which is between 6-7 feet deep and have still not hit clay. Everything I have found so far is just sand-dirt. This is good for my plants, but I still require clay for something.

I used to live in suburbia, where there was clay after you dug 2 feet down at the most. Now, I live downtown and I don't even know if there is any clay underground down here.

So if there is any, how far down would you have to dig? 8 feet? 10 feet? 15?

I'm in Southern Ontario, 2 km upstream from a large lake.

Answer 1

Only about 10in. here in Indiana!

Answer 2

There is no one answer. Some places in my field area have clays right at the surface.

Clay isn't at some set depth everywhere on the planet. You might not have any clay at all. After you get so deep, it wouldn't really exist. Pressure of overlying sediments and soil would create claystone.

Clay is a weathering product of certain minerals, so if its present, it will be closer to the surface.

I'd say if you haven't hit it after 7 feet, you won't.

Answer 3

sounds like there is no clay under your property that u could reach.

we only have to take the topsoil off here to find clay,

all depends on the geology and soil compotion of where you live

Answer 4

It's different wherever you go.  In the suburbs, standard construction practice is to strip off all but the last 12 to 24 inches of top soil (generally, to sell), which means you hit clay a lot sooner than you would, say, out in the country, or even in the middle of a more urban area.

It also depends on what's actually down there to begin with.  You don't find clay layers everywhere.

Answer 5

The local geology will determine how deep you need to dig to find clay.  Without knowing the exact coordinates of your backyard and a detailed map of local geology, there is no way of saying x metres down.

In many places you will never find clay, regardless of how deep you dig... Your best bet seems to be to find a friend who has clay in their yard and ask them nicely to dig some out.

Answer 6

It is differant everywhere you go.

Try maybe a couple more yards down, but if you don't hit clay spend a buck or two and buy a bag of clay.