ABSTRACT
In this paper the results of an experiment involving the desiccation and wetting of a soil tray under controlled conditions in an environmental chamber is described. The evolution of the crack pattern has been recorded and an attempt to explain that evolution is presented in this work. As expected, soil cracking is produced during desiccation but, surprisingly, cracking may increase when wetting the soil after a drying period. This effect is discussed in detail in this paper.
