afl) Designation: D 4083 - 89 (Reapproved 2001)** Standard Practice for Description of Frozen Soils (Visual-Manual Procedure)’ “Thin standard i ined der the fied digation D065; the mumber mamadianly flowing the designation inicatas the year of viginal adoption in he cae of revision, te year of fas revision. number in parentestsndeates the year of as reapproval. A ‘spersrptepion(c indcster an editorial change sce th lat revision or rapproval This standard has been approved Jor we by agencies of the Deparment of Defense. (€ Nore—Baitorial changes were made in Tune 2001, 1, Scope 1.1 This practice presents a procedure for the description of frozen soils based on visual examination and simple manual tests. 1.2 It isintended to be used in conjunction with Test Method 1D 2487 and Practice D 2488, which describe and classify soils, but do not cover their frozen state 1.3 ‘This procedure is based on “Guide to Field Description of Permafrost for Engineering Purposes,” National Research Council of Canada, 1963, and MIL-STD-619. 14 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concems, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibilty of the user of this standard to establish appro priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- bility of regulatory limitations prior to use. 18 This practice offers a set of instructions for performing ‘one or more specific operations. This document cannot replace education or expertence and should be used in conjunction with professional judgment. Not all aspects of this practice may be applicable in all circumstances. This ASTM standard is not intended to represent or replace the standard of care by which the adequacy of a given professional service must be judged, nor should this document be applied without consideration of 4 project’s many unique aspects. The word “Standard” in the tile of this document means only that the document has been approved through the ASTM consensus process. 2. Referenced Documents 21 ASTM Standards: 1.420 Guide to Site Characterization for Engineering, De- sign, and Construction? D653 Terminology Relating to Soil, Kock, and Contained Fluids? 1D 1452 Practice for Soll Investigation and Sampling by ‘Auger Borings 1D 2487 Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes Commites B18 on Soi ad Tis practice Is under he jrsiton of AS [DINIO on Frozen Soils and ockand ise diet responsi of Shem Rock. “Camel edn aporoved Feb, 24, 1989. Published October 1989. Originally publish a D 4083 82. Lat previous edition D 4083 =, * annual Rok af ASTM Standards. Val O48, epyngMe ASTM, 100 Bar Har Oi, Ya Crchn, PA MEDC, Used Se, Copyright by the ASTM laternationel Sun Dee 15 142630 Zone (Unified Soil Classification System)? 1p 24X8 Practice for Description and Identification of Solls (Visual-Manual Procedure)” 2.2 Military Standard: MIL-STD-619 Unified Soil Classification System for Roads, Airfields, Embankments and Foundations* 3, Terminoloxy 3. Definitions: 3.1.1 Definitions of the soil components of a frozen soll mass, that is, boulders, cobbles. gravel, sand, fines (silt and clay), and organic soils and peat shall be in accordance with ‘Terminology D 653. 3.1.2. The following terms are used in conjunction withthe description of frozen ground areas (Fig. 1):* 3.1.2. annual frost zone (active layer)—the top layer of ground subject to annual freezing and thawing, 3.1.22 frost table—the frozen surface, usually iregular, that represents the level, to which thawing of seasonally frozen ground has penetrated. See Fig. 1. 3.1.23 frozen zone—a range of depth within which the soil is frozen. The frozen zone may be bounded both top and bottom by unfrozen soil, or atthe top by the ground surface. 3.1.24 ground ice—a body of more or less clear ice within frozen ground, 3.1.25 ice wedge—a wedge-shaped mass in permatrot, usually associated with fissures in polygons. 3.1.2.6 icing—a surface ice mass formed by freezing of successive sheets of water. 3.1.2.7 permafrost—the thermal condition in soil or rock, ‘wherein the materials have existed at a temperature below 0°C G2°F) continuously for a number of years. Pore fluids or ice ray of may not be present. 3.1.2.8 permafrost table—the surface that represents the upper limit of permatrost. ‘Available fom Naval Publications snd Forms Cente, $801 Tabor Ave. Philadelphia, PA 1912, For mor complet iss of generally accepted terms used inthe deserpion of frozen ground sc: Hemi, F, "Fro and Pennatest Definition," Buln 111, esearch Cou ot Cauda, 19‘Arvan ot Sensual Frost Arion corso oOo FIG. 1 llustration of Frazen Soll Terminology 3.1.2.9 polygons (polygonal ground}—more or less regular sized surface pattems created by thermal contraction of the ground. Two types are common: (a) those with depressed ‘centers and (B) those with raised centers, 3.1.2.10 residual thaw zone—a layer of unfrozen ground between the permafrost and the annual frost zone. This layer does not exist where annual frost extends to permafrost. 3.1.3 The following terms are used to describe the charac- (eristics of the fiozen earth: 3.1.3.1 candied ice—ice that has rotted or otherwise formed into long columnar erystals, very loosely bonded together. 3.1.3.2 clear ice—ice that is transparent and contains only a ‘moderate number of air bubbles. 3.1.33 cloudy ice—ice that is translucent or relatively ‘opaque due to the content of air oF for other reasons, but which is essentially sound and nonpervious. 3.1.34 excess ice—ice in excess of the fraction that would be retained as water in the soil voids after thawing. 3.1.35 friable—a condition under which the material is casily broken up under light to moderate pressure. 3.1.26 granular ice—ice that is composed of coarse, more or less equidimensional, crystals weakly bonded together 3.1.3.7 ice coatings on particles—discerible layers of ice found on ot below the larger soil particles in a frozen soil mass ‘They are sometimes associated with hoarfrost crystals, which have grown into voids produced by the freezing action 3.1.3.8 ice erystal—a very small individual ice particle Visible in the face of a soil mass. Crystals may be present alone ‘or in combination with other ice formations. 3.1.3.9 ice lenses—lenticular ice formations in soil occur ring essentially parallel ro each other, generally normal to the direction of heat loss, and commonly in repeated layers. 3.1.3.10 ice segregation—the growth of icc within soil in ‘excess of the amount that may be produced by the in-place conversion of the original void moisture to ice. Ie segregation ‘occurs most often as distinct lenses, layers, veins, and masses, ‘commonly, but not always, oriented normal to the direction of heat flow, Copyright by the ASTM Internation sun Dee 15 L42648 Zone 3.3.11 poorly bonded—a condition in which the soil particles are weakly held together by the ice so thatthe frozen soil has poor resistance to chipping and breaking 3.1.3.12 porous ice—ice that contains numerous voids, usually interconnected and usually resulting from melting at air bubbies or along crystal interfaces from presence of salt or other materials in the water, or from the freezing of saturated snow. Though porous, the mass retains its structural unity 3.1.3.13 thaw stable—the characteristic of frozen soils that, ‘upon thawing, do not show loss of strength in comparison to normal, long-time thawed values nor produce detrimental settlement. 3.13.14 thaw unstable—the characteristic of frozen soils that, upon thawing, show significant loss of strength in ‘comparison to normal, long-time thawed values or produce significant settlement, or both, asa direct result of the melting fof excess ice in the soil. 3.13.15 well bonded—a condition in which the soil par- ticles are strongly held together by the ice so that the frozen soil possesses relatively high resistance to chipping or break- ing. 4. Significance and Use 4.1 This practice is intended primarily for use by geotech nical engineers and technicians and geologists in the field, where the soil profile or samples from it may be observed in a relatively undisturbed (frozen) state 4.2 It may also be used in the laboratory to describe the condition of relatively undisturbed soi! samples that have been. ‘maintained in a frozen condition following their acquisition in the field. 4.3 The practice is not intended to be used in describing unfrozen soils or disturbed samples of frozen soil 5. Apparatus 3.1 Required Apparatus: 3.1.1 Pocket knife or small spatula. 5.1.2 Low-power magnifying hand lens.Copyright by the ASTM Internatio sun Dee 15 142630 20ne i) D4083 5.1.3 Pintsize graduated jars. 5.2 Useful Autiliary Apparatus: 5.2.1 Camera. 5.2.2 Small botle of dilute hydrochloric acid. 5.2.3. Small test tube and stopper. 7. Part I, Description of the Soll Phuse* 7.1 The soil phase, whether thawed or frozen, is fist described in accordance with Practice D 2488. 8 Part Il, Description of the Frozen Soil ‘ a Non Nbe POORLY BONDED WELL BONDED - WELL_BoNoED ~ no EXCESS ICE EXCESS ICE ee [Nore 1—Froven soils in the 4 gioup may, on close examination, indicate presence of ice within the void ofthe matcral by erstallinerefletions or by a cheen on fractured or trimmed curfaces. The impression received by the unaided eye, however, ic that nane of the frazen water occupies space in ‘excess ofthe original volds inthe soll. The opposite is tru of frozen sols Inte ¥ group. ‘Nove 2—When visual methods may be inadequate, a simple field 15 to aid evaluation of volume of excess ice can be made by placing some frozen soil in a smal jar, allowing it to melt, and observing the quantity of supematant water as a percentage of total volume. oe, rag Iderecaton ‘yma. asco ‘Saba Fa Genmeat ory bonded ot abla ™ ‘dently by vous examination. To dotomine presence of sxcee ice, use procedure under Not 2 Ts aS TE] Fe] ana nana magemyng ens as necessary or sole ot uly saturates, estrare aug of ie " ‘Wolltonded ‘Saturation; medium, lw. Noe presence c crystal oof ce coatings around lage priies, Ercess La FIG. 2 Description of Frozen Solls—ice Not Visible 5.24 Munsell Soil Color Chart or Rock Color Chart, or both. 5.25 Thermometer. 6. General Procedure for Identification 6.1 The system for describing and classifying frozen soil is, based on an identification procedure which involves three steps designated as Pans I. 1, and IIT. Part I consists of a description Of the soil phase, Part II consists of the addition of soil characteristics resulting from the frozen state, and Part Il consists of a description of the important ice strata associated swith the soil [Note 1—In addition to the description ofthe soll profile at a given site, iis norally advantageous to descibe the local train features. Particu- larly ureful are descriptions of the typeof vegetation cover, depth and type ‘of snow cover. local relief and drainage conditions. and depth of thaw. ‘One oF more photos of the area also can be very helpful. The teuuinology siven in 3.1.2 should be used to deserbe any special conditions hich can be recognized. To these should he added any available information on the ‘depth of thaw as estimated trom borings and test pits a the sie 8.1 Frozen soils in which ice is nor visible 10 the unaided eye are designated by the symbol N and are divided into two main subgroups as shown in Fig. 2. 8.1.1 Poorly bonded or friable material in which segre gated ice is not visible to the unaided eye is designated by the symbol N;, This condition exists when the degree of saturation is low. 8.1.2 Well-bonded frozen soil in which the ce cements the ‘material into a hard solid mass, but in which segregated ice is, not visible to the unaided eye is designated by the symbol Ny, Itmay farther be deseribed on the bass of detaied examination and assigned to one of two subtypes. See Fig. 2. 8.1.2.1 If no excess ice is present as indicated by the absence of segregation even under magnified viewing, the material is designated by the symbol Ny 8.1.2.2 If excess ice 1s present, ht is so uniformly distrib. tuted that it is not easily apparent to the unaided eye, the material is designated by the symbol ,.. This condition may occur in very fine silty sands or course silts and can be vetified 5 When theme sil are monly organic (eat) « moe complet description canbe achieved Uwough use ofthe “Guide (oa Fed Descrpoa of Muskeg." 1.C McFarlane, in Special Procedures for Teng Sil and Rock for Engineering Purposes, 3h i ASI 37 47, 1910,@h D 4083 by placing some frozen soil in a graduated jar, allowing it to melt, and observing the quantity of supernatant water as a percentage of the total volume. See Fig. 2 9, Part Ill, Description of Substantial Ice Strata 9.1 Ice strata that are greater than 1 in, (25 mm) in thickness 0 ' se 37 | El. a A ‘ ve ve woven ict «Ie coarngs === ANDO oR aang on omme Geamehctes © nateeacy “rine Geewrtoce —ohewo ce nusas ‘ovuats oe: sou [Nore 1—Frozen soils in the group may. on close examination, indicat presence of ice within the voide ofthe material by crystalline reflections or by a sheen on faced or trimmed surfaces, The impression received by the unaided eye, however, is that none of te ftozen water occuples space in excess ofthe original vid in the sul. The uppesite is ue of frozen sols in the V group. S90 ota Grup Syrba Desipfen abe Fel eorteaton Tae po, ead lang wan oppo Induce esta or inctsions “ Lecaton ‘se tee coaungson paces ve _| hentton Shape ‘Thess Patten v undo or inequity rere ic omatons uy __| Lena ‘pacng ‘Suatd o Stnty ented ic omens | Harness Unto ditbted ico uw _ | Gor Esta vlume of ible segregated ce prsen! as percentage of tla arele votre FIG. 3 Description of Frozen Solls—Visible ce Less Than 1 in, (25 mm) Thiek 82 Frozen soils in which cignificant segregated ice is visible to the unaided eye, but individual ice masses or layers are fess than I in, (25 mm) in thickness are designated by the symbol V. These are divided into five subgroups as shown in Fig. 3. 8.2.1 The symbol V, designates those frozen soils which contain individual ice erystals or inclusions. See Fig. 3. 8.2.2 The symbol V, designates those frozen soils in which the ice occurs as coatings on particles. 8.2.3 The symbol V, designates frozen soil masses with random or irregularly oriented ice formations. 82.4 The symbol V, designates that the frozen soil is interspersed with stratijied or distincly oriented ice forma- tions. 8.25 The symbol V, designates visible ice, uniformly dis- tributed throughout the soil mass Nore 2-—Whon more than one subgroup characteristic is present in the same material. mokiple subgroup designations such as V, , may be used. Copyright by the ASTM Internatio sun Dee 15 142631 20ne are designated by the symbol ICE and divided into two subgroups as shown in Fix. 4. 9.1.1 If the ice stratum contains soil inclusions, itis desig- nated as ICE + Soil Type. 9.1.2 If the ice stratum contains mo soil inclusions, itis dsignated simply as ICE, 10, Identification of Frozen Soils 10.1 Figs. 2-4 also contain information that 1s helpful in ‘determining the proper identification ofa frozen soil mass. The various items listed which pertain to the ice phase should be recorded whenever applicable. 10.2 When greater detail and more specific information are desired than is obtainable from visual inspection, additional Physical tests and measurements may be performed on the frozen or thawed soil, or both. These may include in-place temperature, density, water content, stress-strain characteris- tues thermal properties, and ice crystal structure, AL, Keywords 11.1 frozen: ie: permafrost; soil; undisturbedCopyright by the ASTM Internatio sun Dee 15 L263 Zone ih 4083 IE @ son. Ie WIT sou. CLUSION goer: We, tee wTwour so. INCLUSIONS “oe Nore 1—Where special forms of ice such as hoarrest can be distinguished, more explicit description should be given Nom: 2Obeerver should be careful to avoid being misled by surface scratches or fost coating onthe ice abou Group Symbol = om Fld denteaton ce Tee ith ol cha GE sol ype | Designate mato as IE (Noe 1) and use deaciptve loans ea Talons, ce witout sor nawsione = ay ene fem rom wach group, wnen appicabe Hardness SurcturNote 2) Hana) LEAR SOFI cLouor {elrmace, ot nua Porous cnet) CCANDLED, GRANULAR STRATIFIED caer ames (Gaarles): (ramos): ‘COLORLESS ‘CONTAINS Gray Few Ten FIG, 4 Description of Visible Ice Strata Greater Than 1 In. (25 mm) Thick APPENDIX (Nonmandatory Information) XI, FIELD RECORDS AND PRESENTATION OF DATA XI.L The record of site exploration should include al items normally contained in a well-documented field log (see Prac- tices 1.470 and D 1452) plus those items relating to terrain, permafrost, and thaw conditions that are peculiar to frozen soit areas. X12. The results of the exploration can usually be conv nicntly presented on drawings as schematic representations of borings or test pits, with the various soils encountered shown by appropriate symbols. The recommended procedure is shown in Fig. X1.1. Note that the symbol for the unfrozen soil is given first, followed by the frozen soil designation. For the purpose of readily identifying the frozen soil zones. a wide line is drawn down the left of the graphic log within the range in which the frozen material occurs.hh D 4083 om ‘Symbol ‘Soil Description ‘oe Features oof opscmsyatttes [re ous | os Tt = ow | wy tte iy CRATE] He miriam Gh | omen ay CRAVE, | Noe page | | emcanir cere go | se magi ny GRA, | Hei mn sey | semararai va _| = a [racnaconnag aircon em go * coche t Sheena Hey wear eS a3 oe ea RS a ue for @ Te eee = Cebestfomath | eat ee i |W fo app sa Ea tig al Teton rerum et | pee sone dss ante asters reer ast wa See ees heart nat tem te top| ge ozeyme era her arash stoi oo line <2 * Surface elevation 963.20 FIG. X1.1 Graphic Log of Field Exploration Illustrating Use of the Frozen Soll Deseriptive Nomenclature and Symbole ‘The American Set or Totng ard Matra fakes no poston respecting he vay fan patent rights asserted connection win any tom mentoned in i stancars. Uses of hs starr are expressly advised Vat determination of the vy of eny such ‘Baten gta. and the nek of rlengemont of ach MGM re entirely ter own responsi ‘Thi standard ia ajetorwson a nyt by he racponeibl ecrial commits and mst be rviomed ever ve ars and innatrensoa, eter rapproved or minrann. You comments are veg er for revision i sandr or for aon stances ‘and shuld be adtessed fo ASTM Headauarers Yur comment wil feclve caretal consideration at a meting ofthe responsible {ectncal connie, nfch yu may ated you fee! Dal your eammens have not eceNved @ ir beeing you should mike your ‘ews known fo the ASTM Commitee on Standards. a he aaoress shown Det. ‘Thi standards copyaghtudby ASTM. 100 Bar Harbor Dive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 194262959, Unted States. maauat rents (sngie or maple copes) of tne standard may be obtained by contacing ASTM atthe above ade or st {0.832-9585 (ohane). 610-832 9855 (lan ofserace asim or (e-nal or Mvouah te ASM weDste (wm Astm.og)- Copyright by the ASTM Internation Sun Dec 15 M4263 Zone