Terminology

Cuts and fills- Units ( such as of amount) of land removed and added to level or modify the surface

to desired elevation

Geologic reconnaissance- Preliminary geologic survey

Geomorphology – Study of landforms

Water table – Top of the saturated zone where water fills all pores in the soil

The subsurface exploration

According to Peck and the other authors (1974) of the Foundation Engineering book, before the
engineer proceeds with the design of the foundation of the structure, the physical properties and
arrangement of the subsurface materials must be obtained. The designer therefore must be aware of
the properties and characteristics needed for the design. For instance, in the pavement design, the
engineer must consider the water table depths, and the vertical and horizontal variation of subsurface
soil type, densities, and moisture contents. In the pavement design, the designer must consider and
identify special subsurface condition such as frost-- susceptible soil and swelling soil. A subsurface
exploration must be conducted. In a design manual in the Iowa State University hosted website, listed
are the objectives of the subsurface exploration as follow: to describe the geometry of the rock, soil,
and water below the ground surface; and to determine the relevant engineering characteristics of the
earth materials using the laboratory tests and or field tests. Accordingly, the purpose of the subsurface
exploration program for road project, is to obtain sufficient data to permit the selection of types,
locations, and principal dimensions of the roadway projects. With the exploration identifying the site
in sufficient detail, the development of cost- effective and feasible pavement design is expected. In a
state university construction fund program directives, it is stated that the subsurface investigation is to
be provided as required to comply with the building code of the state saying that the foundation and
soil investigations proposed should be sufficient not only for the design of the project but also for
understanding the impacts of the subsurface conditions on the construction activities and their means
and methods and further saying that the latter may require substantially more borings into the ground
than the former.

The stages of the subsurface investigation or exploration include desk study prior to the site
investigation. Review by the geotechnical engineer of the existing information may be made from
sources that include libraries, road maps, geological survey maps, reports and publications, aerial
photographs, past and previous geotechnical reports, and record of structural performance and or
construction problem at the project site. The geometry and the elevation of the proposed facility, the
load and performance criteria, and the location and dimensions of the cuts and fills, are obtained from
the design engineer. With the plan in hand, the visitation of the site with the design engineer is made,
reviewing the following: general site condition, location of above the ground and under the ground
utilities, type and condition of the existing facilities, geomorphology, geologic reconnaissance,
benchmarks and other reference points, flood levels, access restriction for equipment, right of way
constraints, and traffic control required during the field investigation. Based from the aforementioned
review made, the subsurface exploration location, depth, and frequency are planned. An example of
the geologic reconnaissance was the one made for the proposed improvement and the new
construction in relation to the Franklin Ridge Road Extension project in San Diego, California, US. The
aforementioned geologic reconnaissance included a review of the readily available published and
unpublished geologic literature, the performance of the limited field investigation, the laboratory
testing and the preliminary engineering analyses as well as the preparation of the report of the said
geologic reconnaissance.

The aforementioned design manual in a website hosted by Iowa State University, contained guidelines
in line with subsurface investigation. The general guideline is said to include the subsurface
characterization which covers the frequency of borings, depth requirements for borings, and types of
borings; and sampling of both disturbed and undisturbed samples.

According to Peck and his co authors (1974), because of the complexity of the natural deposits, there is
no one method of exploration which is best for all situations.

The method which has been used under a variety of conditions included drilling of holes into the ground
from which samples are extracted for identification. While there are common ways for drilling holes,
there are a variety of methods for obtaining samples according to Peck and his co authors. Preliminary
boring which is expected to disclose the general characteristics of the underlying material and an
extensive program of boring and sampling can be made. Certain technique which does not require
sampling, can be adopted in determining a property of the material. Less common methods may be
used under suitable conditions.

References

Geocon Incorporated. (2013, July 22). Geologic reconnaissance.

https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/appendix_g_geologic_reconnaissance.pdf

Subsurface exploration program. (2013).

https://intrans.iastate.edu/app/uploads/sites/15/2020/03/6B-1.pdf
Subsurface (geotechnical) investigation procedure. (2012, July).

https://sucf.suny.edu/sites/default/files/docs/1C-5.pdf