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Yellowish Red

Reddish Yellow

Dark Red

Red

Pink

Reddish Brown

Reddish Orange

Light Reddish Orange

Medium Bluish Gray

Light Bluish Gray

Dark Greenish Gray

Greenish Gray

Olive Gray

Light Olive Gray

JURUTERA PERUNDING GEA (M) SDN BHD

COMPILED FOR INTERNAL USE

Remove cobbles and boulders (>60mm)

IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF SOILS : PART 1

Yellowish Gray

Do they weigh more than rest of soil?

No
Brownish Gray

Yes

Does soil stick together when wet? Does soil display low plasticity, dilatancy, silky touch, disintegrate in water and dry quickly?

Is soil dark or black, and of low density?

Has soil been laid down by man?

Light Brownish Gray

Are most particles >200mm? Are most particles >2mm?

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

Describe strength/compactness, describe discontinuities, describe bedding, describe colour

Describe according to 7.1.4.6

Natural Describe as for natural soils

Man made Describe proportion, type and condition of components

Medium Gray

Light Brown

Add other information, add geological origin Add other information (such as organic content, calcareous content) and minor constituents

Light Gray

Replace cobbles and boulders into description, add geological origin

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

Light Olive Brown

Yellow

Brownish Yellow

Light Brownish Yellow

Dark Brown

IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF SOILS : PART 2


Soil group
Coarse soils Very coarse (over about 65% sand and gravel sizes) soils

Density/compactness/strength
Discontinuities Bedding Colour

Term Loose Dense

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

PRINCIPAL SOIL TYPE

Visual identification

Minor constituents

Stratum name

Example descriptions

By inspection of voids and particle packing

BOULDERS

of discontinuities Term Very widely Widely Medium Closely Very closely


Extremely closely

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

Mean thickness mm Over 2000 2000 to 600 600 to 200

Red Orange Yellow Brown Green Blue White Cream Term

Approx. % secondary

c)

Angular Sub angular

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

bedded Thickly bedded Medium bedded Thinly bedded


Very thinly

Slightly (Sandy d) )

<5

Sub rounded

Coarse 20 Medium 5
GRAVEL

Rounded Grey Black etc. Flat (sandy )


d)

Easily visible to naked eye: particle shape can be described: grading can be described.

with rare with occasional with abundant/frequent/ numerous

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)

Tabular Fine Elongated 2

bedded Thickly laminated Thinly laminated

WEATHERED BADAK SHALE

Slightly cemented

Fine soils (over about 35% silt and clay sizes)

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

Visual examination pick removes soil in lumps which can be abraded

Fissured

Very (sandyd))

> 20

b)

Minor constituent type

Coarse 0.6

SAND

Visible to naked eye: no cohesion when dry: grading can be described.

% defined on a site or material specific basis or subjective

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

Slightly (sandy a))

MADE GROUND OR COLLUVIAL DEPOSITS ? etc.

CLAY/ SILT

Firm thinly laminated gray CLAY with closely spaced thick laminate of sand. (ALLUVIUM)

0.002 % defined on a site or material specific basis or subjective.


CLAY

(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.

Plastic brown clayey amorphous PEAT (RECENT DEPOSITS)

Firm
Organic soils

Fibres already compressed together Very compressible and open structure

Plant remains Fibrous recognizable and retains some strength

Spongy

Plant remains pseudorecognizable, fibrous strength lost

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

Colour Grey as mineral Dark grey Dark grey Black Black

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.

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