Silt three grades fine, medium and coarse 0.002 mm to 0.006 mm to 0.020 mm to 0.063 mm). In actuality, silt is chemically distinct from clay, and unlike clay, grains of silt are approximately the same size in all dimensions; furthermore, their size ranges overlap. Clays are formed from thin plate-shaped particles held together by electrostatic forces, so present a cohesion. Pure silts are not cohesive. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Soil Texture Classification system, the sand–silt distinction is made at the 0.05 mm particle size. The USDA system has been adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Silt, Colorado west. U.S. Route 6 is Main Street in Silt, and provides a local route parallel to I-70. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 1.46%, is water. This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Silt has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. As of the census of 2000, there were 1,740 people, 648 households, and 452 families residing in the town.