It all depends on replenishment. If a sandy bottom lake is fed by a large stream it may easily hold more water than a clay bottom lake of equal size whose primary source is rainfall.
I see that your answer may be more accurate. However, the question that I am trying to answer for an Earth Science homework assignment is "Why is a lake with a clay bottom able to hold more water than a lake with a sand bottom?"
I'll assume that they are both replenished by the same method in the same amount.
Posts: 5457 | Location: USA | Registered: 06-24-02
Clay is far less porous than is sand. Water can more easily percolate through sand than it can through clay, therefore draining the lake of water faster than it could through clay. Sand is made of unbound grains of sand with considerable space between the grains, which provide a path for water to move through. Clay is composed of microscopic plates of mineral that bind to water and therefore present a barrier to water movement.
