Quantifying the fabric of intact soil is of great importance in both geomechanics and geology. A unique and interesting example of fabric can be found in the "locked sands". These geologically old sands are characterized by significant grain interlocking and a low cement content. They can be sampled with minimal fabric disturbance. This study analyzes images acquired by X-ray microtomography of resin impregnated samples of a natural sand, Reigate Silver Sand part of the Folkestone Bed formation

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... from southeast England. 2D and 3D image analyses were carried out to identify the grain-grain contacts and quantify individual contact areas. In contrast to earlier studies that have focused on the coordination number, this work demonstrates that for non-punctual contacts a measure of fabric that considers the contact area may be more appropriate.