Mud, short for muddle, is loam, silt or clay mixed with water. It is usually formed after rainfall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone. When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries, the resultant layers are termed bay muds. Mud has also been used for centuries as a construction resource for mostly houses and also used as a binder.
A pair of muddy boots
Gamo mud volcano in Tokamachi, Japan
Mud plastered home in Pakistan
The Arg e Bam citadel in Iran, the largest adobe building in the world
Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay and composed mostly of broken grains of quartz. Silt may occur as a soil or as sediment mixed in suspension with water. Silt usually has a floury feel when dry, and lacks plasticity when wet. Silt can also be felt by the tongue as granular when placed on the front teeth.
Windrow of windblown silt, Northwest Territories, Canada
A stream carrying silt from fields in Brastad, Sweden
A silted lake located in Eichhorst, Germany