Editing Mud

{{Short description|Mixture of water and any combination of soil, silt, sand, and clay}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2022}}

[[File:2003-11-27 Northerner boots in mud.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|A pair of muddy [[Wellington boot|Wellington boots]]]]
[[File:Gamo Mud Volcano 3.jpg|thumb|Gamo mud volcano in [[Tokamachi]], Japan]]
'''Mud''' ({{etymology|gml|mudde, mod(de)|thick mud}}, or [[Middle Dutch]])<ref>{{Cite web |title=mud {{!}} Etymology of mud by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/mud#etymonline_v_19211 |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en}}</ref> is [[loam]], [[silt]] or [[clay]] mixed with [[water]]. Mud is usually formed after [[rain]]fall or near water sources. Ancient mud deposits hardened over [[geologic time scale|geological time]] to form [[sedimentary rock]] such as [[shale]] or [[mudstone]] (generally called [[lutite]]s). When geological deposits of mud are formed in [[estuaries]], the resultant layers are termed [[bay mud]]s. Mud has also been used for [[Century|centuries]] as a [[construction]] resource for mostly houses and also used as a binder. An [[Old English]] word for it was '''[[fen]]''', now in [[English dialects|most dialects]] referring to a type of [[wetland]].
== Building and construction ==
[[File:Punjabi Home.JPG|thumb|[[earthen plaster|Mud plastered]] home in [[Pakistan]]]]
[[File:Fortaleza de Bam, Irán, 2016-09-23, DD 09.jpg|thumb|The [[Arg e Bam]] citadel in Iran, the largest adobe building in the world]]

=== Adhesive ===
In the [[construction]] industry, mud is a semi-fluid material that can be used to coat, seal, or adhere materials.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Mahajan |first=Bhushan |date=2020-06-01 |title=15 Types Of Building Materials Used In Construction |url=https://civiconcepts.com/blog/types-of-building-materials |access-date=2023-10-21 |language=en-GB}}</ref> The term "mud" can be used for various semi-fluid materials used in construction including [[slurry]], [[mortar (masonry)|mortar]], [[plaster]], [[stucco]], and [[concrete]].<ref name=":0" />

=== Material ===
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Mud, [[Cob (material)|cob]], [[adobe]], [[clay]], and many other names are historically used synonymously to mean a mixture of [[subsoil]] and water possibly with the addition of stones, [[gravel]], [[straw]], [[Lime (material)|lime]], and/or [[bitumen]]. This material was used in a variety of ways to build [[wall]]s, [[floor]]s and even [[roof]]s. For [[thousand]]s of [[year]]s it was common in most parts of the [[earth|world]] to build walls using [[mudbrick]]s or the [[wattle and daub]], [[rammed earth]] or [[cob (material)|cob]] techniques and cover the surfaces with earthen plaster.

==== Mudbrick ====
{{Main|Mudbrick}}
[[File:Amran.jpg|upright|thumb|Mud house in [['Amran]], Yemen]]
Mud can be made into mud bricks, also called [[adobe]], by mixing mud with water, placing the mixture into [[molding (process)|moulds]] and then allowing it to dry in open [[air]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yourhome.gov.au/materials/mud-brick|title=Mud brick|last=admin_666|date=29 July 2013|work=yourhome.gov.au}}</ref> [[Straw]] is sometimes used as a [[binder (material)|binder]] within the [[bricks]], as it makes them a [[Composite material|composite]]. When the brick would otherwise break, the straw will redistribute the force throughout the brick, decreasing the chance of [[Structural integrity and failure|breakage]].<ref>Smith, Michael G. ''The Cobber’s Companion: How to Build Your Own Earthen Home''. Cottage Grove: Cob Cottage, 1998. Print.</ref> Such buildings must be protected from [[groundwater]], usually by building upon a masonry, fired brick, rock or rubble foundation, and also from wind-driven rain in damp [[climate]]s, usually by deep roof overhangs. In extremely dry climates a well-drained flat roof may be protected with a well-prepared ([[Puddling (engineering)|puddled]]) and properly maintained dried mud coating, viable as the mud will expand when [[moisture|moistened]] and so become more water-resistant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/5-adobe-buildings.htm|title=Preservation Brief 5: Preservation of Historic Adobe Buildings|work=nps.gov}}</ref> Adobe mudbricks were commonly used by the [[Pueblo]] [[Native Americans in the United States|Indians]] to build their homes and other necessary structures. In some countries there are entire cities made of mud brick houses.
[[Cow dung]] and [[biomass]] are added to regulate indoor climate.<ref>[https://www.tudelft.nl/2020/citg/bricks-made-out-of-mud-and-cow-dung-to-regulate-indoor-climate Bricks made out of mud and cow-dung to regulate indoor climate]</ref>

==== Fired brick ====
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Mud that is mostly clay, or a mixture of clay and sand may be used for [[ceramic]]s, of which one form is the common fired [[brick]]. Fired brick are more durable but consume much more [[energy]] to produce.

==== Stabilized mud ====
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Stabilized mud (earth, soil) is mud which has had a binder such as cement or bitumen added. Examples are [[mudcrete]], landcrete, and [[soil cement]].

== Pottery ==
{{Main|Pottery}}

Pottery is made by forming a [[List of pottery terms#Clay body|clay body]] into objects of a required shape and [[heat]]ing them to high [[temperature]]s in a [[kiln]] which removes all the water from the [[clay]], which induces reactions that lead to permanent changes including increasing their strength and hardening and setting their shape. A clay body can be [[Pottery#Decorating and glazing|decorated]] before or after firing. Prior to some shaping processes, clay must be prepared. [[List of pottery terms#K|Kneading]] helps to ensure an even moisture content throughout the body. [[Air]] trapped within the clay body needs to be removed. This is called de-airing and can be accomplished by a [[machine]] called a vacuum [[List of pottery terms#pug|pug]] or manually by [[List of pottery terms#W|wedging]]. Wedging can also help produce an even [[moisture]] content. Once a clay body has been kneaded and de-aired or wedged, it is shaped by a variety of techniques. After shaping, it is dried and then fired.

In [[ceramics]], the making of liquid mud (called [[Slip (ceramics)|slip]]) is a stage in the process of refinement of the [[material]]s, since larger particles will settle from the [[liquid]].

== Habitat ==
{{Expand section|date=January 2011}}
Mud provides habitat for diverse species on land and in the sea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mud {{!}} The Wildlife Trusts |url=https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/habitats/marine/mud |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=www.wildlifetrusts.org |language=en}}</ref>

=== Land ===
Mud can provide a home for numerous types of animals, including varieties of [[worm]]s, [[frog]]s, [[snail]]s, [[clam]]s, and [[crayfish]]. Other animals, such as [[hippopotamus]]es, [[pig]]s, [[rhinoceros]]es, [[water buffalo]] and [[elephant]]s, [[bathing|bathe]] in mud in order to cool off and protect themselves from the [[sun]]. Submerged mud can be home to [[larvae]] of various [[insects]].

=== Marine life ===
Mud plays an important role in the [[marine ecosystem]]. The activities of [[burrow]]ing [[animal]]s and [[fish]] have a dramatic churning effect on muddy [[seabed]]s. This allows the exchange and cycling of [[oxygen]], [[nutrient]]s, and [[mineral]]s between [[water]] and [[sediment]].<ref name="auto">A summary of the ‘Burrowed Mud’ MPA search feature. (n.d.). Retrieved January 13, 2015, from [https://web.archive.org/web/20121016201916/http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/0039/00394205.doc] &cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us</ref>

Below the surface, the burrows of some [[species]] form intricate lattice-like networks and may penetrate a [[meter]] or more downwards. This means that the burrowed mud is a productive [[habitat]], providing [[food]] and shelter for many mud-dwellers and other animals that forage in and over the mud.<ref name="auto" />

== Problems ==

Mud can pose problems for motor [[traffic]] when [[moisture]] is present, because every [[vehicle]] function that changes direction or [[speed]] relies on [[friction]] between the [[tire]]s and the [[road]] surface, so a layer of mud on the surface of the road or tires can cause the vehicle to [[Aquaplaning|hydroplane]]. People and cars can also become stuck in mud, as in [[quicksand]].

Heavy [[rain]]fall, [[snowmelt]], or high levels of [[groundwater]] may trigger a movement of [[soil]] or [[sediment]]s, possibly causing [[mudslides]], [[landslides]], [[rockslide|avalanches]], or [[sinkholes]]. [[Mudslide]]s in [[volcano|volcanic]] terrain (called [[lahar]]s) occur after [[Types of volcanic eruptions|eruptions]] as [[rain]] remobilizes loose [[ash]] deposits.<ref>"Mud on the Move." Earth: The Definitive Visual Guide. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2013. 98. Print.</ref> Mudslides are also common in the [[western United States]] during [[El Niño]] years due to prolonged rainfall.

<gallery mode=packed heights=160>
File:Glenwood mud slide (6089986106).jpg|A [[landslide]] on a railroad
File:Solidarité Communautaire 2.jpg|Vehicle in mud after heavy rainfall ([[Democratic Republic of the Congo]])
File:A team of stretcher bearers struggle through deep mud to carry a wounded man to safety near Boesinghe on 1 August 1917 during the Third Battle of Ypres. Q5935.jpg|Mud was a decisive factor in the infamous [[Battle of Passchendaele]] in 1917.
</gallery>

== As food ==
[[Geophagia]] is the practice of eating earth or soil-like substances, also known as geophagy, and is practiced by some non-human primates and by humans in some cultures. In other human cultures, it is considered an eating disorder and classed as [[Pica (disorder)|Pica]].<ref>{{Cite journal | author= Ziegler, J.| year=1997 | title=Geophagia: a vestige of paleonutrition?| journal=Tropical Medicine and International Health| volume=2 |issue=7 |pages=609–611 |doi= 10.1046/j.1365-3156.1997.d01-359.x |pmid= 9270727 |s2cid=71822543 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fack |first1=Vinciane |last2=Shanee |first2=Sam |last3=Vercauteren Drubbel |first3=Régine |last4=Vercauteren |first4=Martine |last5=Meunier |first5=Hélène |title=Geophagy in the yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) at La Esperanza, Peru: site characterization and soil composition |journal=Primates |date=May 2020 |volume=61 |issue=3 |pages=507–518 |doi=10.1007/s10329-020-00802-9 |pmid=32095910 |s2cid=211253699 }}</ref>  

===Foods named "mud" ===
[[Mississippi mud pie]] is a chocolate based dessert pie.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mississippi mud pie |url=https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/mississippi-mud-pie |website=BBC Good Food |access-date=19 December 2022 |language=en}}</ref> [[Mud cookie]]s (baked from literal dirt mixed with oil, water, etc.) are also eaten in the poorest parts of [[Haiti]].  Children's recipes for "mud" also exist, which is generally a [[chocolate]] or [[cornstarch]]-based sludge used more for visual appeal than actual taste. However, it does not contain real mud.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cookadvice.com/recipes/magic_mud-36597-recipe.htm |title=Magic mud food recipe – Magic mud ingredients & cooking |publisher=Cookadvice.com |date=2 September 2012 |access-date=26 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320014931/http://www.cookadvice.com/recipes/magic_mud-36597-recipe.htm |archive-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> "Mud" is also a colloquial [[slang]] word for [[coffee]], especially when thick, strong, and/or dark.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Team |first=Namesflare |date=2024-06-14 |title=Slang Names For Coffee |url=https://namesflare.com/slang-names-for-coffee/ |access-date=2024-12-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Recreation ==
[[File:Mud buffalo.jpg|alt=|thumb|A buffalo [[wallowing]]]]
[[File:Silek Lanyah 2020 - Two men performing martial art in a stream.jpg|thumb|People doing martial arts in the mud]]
[[File:White rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros, Ceratotherium simum. (17349074222).jpg|thumb|A [[rhinoceros]] wallowing]]
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=== Mud bath ===
{{Main|Mud bath}}
A mud bath is a bath of mud, commonly from areas where hot spring water can combine with [[volcanic ash]]. Mud baths have existed for thousands of years, and can be found now in high-end [[spa]]s.

=== Mud wallow ===
Mud wallows are a common source of entertainment for [[children]]. Mud wallows can be any shape, size, depth and some can have [[water]] as well as mud. Usually, wallows are shallow dips in the ground that have been [[flood]]ed and were full of [[dirt]] and those two have mixed to make a squishy mud wallow.

===Mud sports===
{{Main|Mud sports}}
Mud sports are sports that take place in, or heavily incorporate, mud.<ref name="s805">{{cite journal | last1=DeNizio | first1=Jamie E. | last2=Hewitt | first2=David A. | title=Infection from Outdoor Sporting Events—More Risk than We Think? | journal=Sports Medicine - Open | publisher=Springer Science and Business Media LLC | volume=5 | issue=1 | date=2019-08-14 | issn=2199-1170 | doi=10.1186/s40798-019-0208-x | doi-access=free | page=37| pmid=31414195 | pmc=6694362 }}</ref><ref name="q030">{{cite web | last=Mai | first=Ann | title=Dirty never felt so good: Six reasons to play in the mud | website=The Shorthorn | date=2013-10-02 | url=https://www.theshorthorn.com/life_and_entertainment/dirty-never-felt-so-good-six-reasons-to-play-in-the-mud/article_e0c8bd2a-27e4-11e3-b948-001a4bcf6878.html | access-date=2024-08-28}}</ref><ref name="l382">{{cite web | title=Details released for Rotorua's inaugural Mudtopia festival | website=[[The New Zealand Herald]] | date=2017-03-27 | url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/rotorua-daily-post/news/rotoruas-mudtopia-mud-and-music-festival-details-revealed/ZEOFIAROTKTFAYY7UQVHGUJLTA/ | access-date=2024-08-28}}</ref> Examples include:
*[[Mud bogging]], an [[off-roading|off-road motorsport]] popular in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]] in which the goal is to drive a vehicle through a pit of mud or a track of a set length.
*[[Mud run]]s, where contestants run and crawl through mud bogs and other obstacles.
*[[Dirt biking]], [[biking]] through muddy tracks and courses.
*[[Mud wrestling]], a form of wrestling that takes place in mud.

=== Other uses ===
* Mud can be used in a [[dunk tank]].
* [[Baseball rubbing mud]] is used to remove the sheen from new [[baseballs]].
* Children often like to make [[mud pie|mud pies]], throw mud at each other and play barefoot and cover their bare [[feet]] in mud and squish it between their toes. 
*Mud can be smeared across the [[skin]] as a repellent from [[mosquito]]es.
*Many animals cover themselves in mud ([[wallowing]]) to cool off.

== See also ==
*[[Sludge]]
* [[Drilling mud]]
* [[Muck (soil)]]
* [[Mudcrack]]
* [[Mudcrete]]
* [[Mud flap]]
* [[Mud volcano]]
* [[Peloid]]
* [[Mudflat]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Commons category|Mud}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{cite book|author1= P.J. Depetris|author2=P.E. Potter |author3=J.B. Maynard |title=Mud and mudstones introduction and overview|date=2005|publisher=Springer|location=Berlin [u.a.]|isbn=3-540-27082-5|edition=1}}
* {{cite book|last1=Wood|first1=C.E.|title=Mud a military history|date=2006|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=9781612343310|edition=1st}}
* {{cite book|editor1=C.L.V. Monty |editor2=D.W.J. Bosence |editor3=P.H. Bridger |editor4=B.R. Pratt |title=Carbonate Mud-Mounds Their Origin and Evolution.|date=1995|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|location=Chichester|isbn=1-4443-0412-7}}
* {{cite book |last=Okonkwo |first=Festus |date=2009 |title=Introductory Mud Engineering Handbook |publisher=Booksurge Publishing |isbn=9781439227275}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rael|first1=Ronald|title=Earth architecture|date=2009|publisher=Princeton Architectural Press|location=New York, N.Y.|isbn=978-1-56898-767-5|edition=1st|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/eartharchitectur0000rael}}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|mud}}
{{Soil type}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aquatic ecology]]
[[Category:Soil]]
[[Category:Soil-based building materials]]
[[Category:Ceramic materials]]