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Reddish Yellow
Dark Red
Red
Pink
Reddish Brown
Reddish Orange
Greenish Gray
Olive Gray
Yellowish Gray
No
Brownish Gray
Yes
Does soil stick together when wet? Does soil display low plasticity, dilatancy, silky touch, disintegrate in water and dry quickly?
Yes
THESE ARE APPROXIMATE SOIL COMPARISON COLOURS, FOR MORE ACCURATE COLOURS COMPARISONS, CONSULT MUNSEL SOIL COLOUR CHARTS THE TWO TABLES ARE FROM CP BS5930 & DRAFT MALAYSIAN CP FOR SITE INVESTIGATION
No
COBBLES
Yes
Yes
Black
BOULDERS
Yes
GRAVEL
No
SAND
Yes
SILT
No
Made Ground CLAY Does soil comprise natural or man made materials?
Describe secondary and tertiary size fractions Describe secondary and tertiary size fractions Describe density (by inspection) describe bedding, describe colour, measure particle size, describe particle shape Describe secondary and tertiary size fractions ORGANIC
Dark Gray
Describe density, describe bedding, describe colour, measure particle size, shape and grading
Medium Gray
Light Brown
Add other information, add geological origin Add other information (such as organic content, calcareous content) and minor constituents
Light Gray
Distinguish between fill (controlled placement) and made ground (uncontrolled placement)
Brown
White
Medium Blue
Blue
Light Blue
Dark Purple
Purple
Dark Green
Medium Green
Green
Light Green
Yellow
Brownish Yellow
Dark Brown
Density/compactness/strength
Discontinuities Bedding Colour
Field test
Scale of spacing Scale of bedding thickness Term
Very thickly
Composite soil types (mixtures of basic soil types) For mixtures involving very coarse soils, see 7.1.4.4.3
Particle shaps
Particle size
Visual identification
Minor constituents
Stratum name
Example descriptions
BOULDERS
Only seen complete in pits or exposures Shell fragments, pockets of Often dificult to recover whole from boreholes peat, gypsum crystals, first gravel, fragments of brick, rootlets, plastic bags etc. using terms such as: RECENT DEPOSITS.
Mean spacing mm Over 2000 2000 to 600 600 to 200 200 to 60 60 to 20 Under 20 Breaks into block along unpolished discontinuities
Approx. % secondary
c)
200
COBBLES
Loose brown very sandy subangular fine to coarse flint GRAVEL with small pockets (up to 30mm) clay.
60
Borehole with SPT N-value Very loose Loose Medium dense Dense Very Dense 0- 4 4 - 10 10 - 30 30 - 50 > 50
Slightly (Sandy d) )
<5
Sub rounded
Coarse 20 Medium 5
GRAVEL
Easily visible to naked eye: particle shape can be described: grading can be described.
ALLUVIUM.
Medium dense light brown gravelly clayey fine SAND Gravel is fine
200 to 60 60 to 20 20 to 6 Under 6
5 to 20
b)
Slightly cemented
Alternating layers of Interdifferent types Breaks into bedded Easily moulded or requalified by Light block along UnSheared crushed in the fingers unpolished thickness compacted SAND discontinuities term in equal Dark AND Mottled proportions. Can be moulded or GRAVEL Otherwise Compacted crushed by strong Spacing terms also thickness of pressure in the fingers used for distance and spacing between partings, InterTerm Finger easily laminated between isolated beds or Very soft pushed in up to subordinate laminse, dessication 0-20 25mm layers defined cracks, rootlets ets Soft 20-40 Firm 40-75 Stiff 75-150 Very stiff 150-300
Hard (or very weak mudstone) Cu > 300 kPa
Fissured
Very (sandyd))
> 20
b)
Coarse 0.6
SAND
MIOCENE CLAY.
about 50
b)
Medium Calcareous, Shelly, glauconitic, 0.2 micacaous Fine etc. using term 0.06 such as
SILT
EMBANKMENT FILL.
Stiff very closely sheared orange mottled brown slightly gravelly CLAY. Gravel is fine and medium of rounded quartzite
Approx. % c) Coarse Slightly secondary calcareous 0.02 calcareous Medium < 35 Very calcareous 0.006 Fine
Only coarse silt visible with hand lens: exhibits little plasticity and marked dilatancy: slightly granular or silky to the touch: disintegrates in water: lumps dry quickly: possesses cohesion but can be powdered easily between fingers Intermediate in behaviour between clay and silt. Slightly dilatant
TOP SOIL.
Finger pushed in up to 10mm Thumb makes impression easily Can be indented slightly by thumb Can be indented by thumb nail Can be scratched by thumbnail
CLAY/ SILT
Firm thinly laminated gray CLAY with closely spaced thick laminate of sand. (ALLUVIUM)
(sandy )
e)
35 to 65
a)
Very f) (sandy )
> 65
a)
Dry lumps can be broken but not powdered between the fingers: they also disintegrate under water but more slowly than silt: smooth to touch: exhibits plasticity but no dilatancy: stick to fingers and dries slowly: shrinks appreciably on drying usually showing cracks.
Firm
Organic soils
Spongy
Transported mixtures Slightly organic clay or silt Slightly organic sand Organic clay or silt Organic sand Very organic clay or silt Very organic sand Accumulated in situ
Contains finely divided or discrete particles or organic matter, often with distinctive smell, may oxidize rapidly. Describe as for inorganic soils using terminology above.
NOTES: a) Or described as coarse soil depending on mass behaviour b) Or described as fine soil depending on mass behaviour c) % coarse or fine soil type assesssed excluding cobbles and boulders d) Gravelly or sandy and/ or silty or clayey e) Gravelly and/ or sandy f) Gravelly or sandy
Plastic
Can be moulded in hand Amor- Recognizable plant Peat and smears fingers phouse remains absent
Predominantly plant remains, usually dark brown or black in colour, distinctive smell, low bulk density, Can contain disseminated or discrete mineral soils.