Alluvium Alluvium Alluvium (from the Latin "alluvius", from "alluere", "to wash against") is loose, unconsolidated (not cemented together into a solid rock) soil or sediment that has been eroded, reshaped by water in some form, and redeposited in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel. When this loose alluvial material is deposited or cemented into a lithological unit, or lithified, it is called an alluvial deposit. The term "alluvium" is not typically used in situations where the formation of the sediment
Earthen plaster lime or gypsum, while stucco uses a cement or synthetic binding element. Clay is a soil component consisting of extremely fine particles. Most clays consist of hydrous aluminum silicates, though there is a considerable amount of chemical variation among the clays. Clay is cohesive and binds to the sand and the straw, holding the mixture together, as well as securing the mixture to the wall. Clay is also plastic when wet, which makes the plaster mixture workable. Sand provides structure, strength, and bulk to earthen plasters. Sand consists of tiny mineral granules of rock, its parent material. Predominately composed of