4.1 The purpose of this practice is to standardize the routine description of peat and other organic soils for various uses (such as, peatland inventories and resource evaluations). This practice should be used to supplement other field information, such as, site location, surface morphology, surface vegetation, water table, moisture content, fiber content, wood content, and visually identifiable plant types and parts.

Note 1: This standard is a visual/manual method and is not meant to replace the more precise method of laboratory classification of peat (see Classification D4427). It should also be noted, this practice is independent of the determination of whether an articluar deposit contains peat that is defined in Classification D4427 on the basis of laboratory determination of ash content (see Test Method D2974).

1.1 This practice covers the visual determination of the degree of humification of peat and other highly organic soils by visually evaluating the color of the water expelled upon compression. This practice is not used for the determination of the degree of organic decomposition of organic matter in mineral soils.

1.2 This practice offers a set of instructions for performing one or more specific operations. This document cannot replace education or experience and should be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this practice may be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged, nor should this document be applied without consideration of a project’s many unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the title of this document means only that the document has been approved though the ASTM consensus process.

1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.4 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.