SUMMARYLate Quaternary clays in Haifa Bay and Ashdod Harbour are overconsolidated by desiccation. This conclusion was reached through analysis of the pre‐consolidation pressure as function of the actual overburden pressure, and by analogy with clays undergoing desiccation, and confirmed in laboratory experiments. It is in agreement with the known geology of the area.For pressures above 2.0 kg/cm2, a definite statistical relationship was established between the preconsolidation pressure and the in situ void ratio. For lower pressures, the in situ void ratio is mainly governed by environmental conditions during deposition and thought also to be governed by the clay mineralog