Soil Properties and Behavior defines the structure of the soil-water system. This book provides the background of the nature of mineral particles and the existing forces between the particles in the soil system. It also examines the structure and fabric of soil, as well as their relationship with water. Furthermore, the book explores water movement and soil performance, which are related to the physics of soil-water movement and volume changes. This book illustrates the common clay minerals in soils and discusses the methods for their identification. It also reviews the theory of one-dimensional consolidation and discusses the soil structure in consolidation and compression. The book also presents the concepts of yield and failure in soils, yield criteria, and failure theories. It also focuses on granular and cohesive soil strength, including friction properties, the intrinsic friction angle, the volumetric strain, and pore-water pressure. The last part of the book discusses soil freezing and permafrost.