Gem 2101 Engineering Geology

Assignment 1
Name: Mukesh Bacchus
USI- 1036763

Instructions Due date: October 6th, 2023, 11:59 pm

a. Define the following terms.
b. Provide and explain the derivation of the formula used to calculate the
properties
where applicable.
c. Provide the name/s of the lab test used to calculate the properties where
applicable. Listed below are the following terms.

1. Soil- this is a natural occurring material on the earths surface and it is

often composed of mineral particles. During lab tests soil samples are
taken and analyzed using methods such as sieve analysis to determine
the particle size distribution, and the Atterberg limits test to assess the
plasticity and the liquid limits.
2. Rock- also a natural occurring substance that is solid and is composed of
organic materials and also minerals. Geotechnical test such as uniaxial
compressive strength test is used to measure the rock’s strength under
pressure.

3. Water/ Moisture Content- usually is the amount of water that is

currently present in an substance. The formula for moisture content is
[(Weight of water \ Dry weight of the samples)] x 100

4. Specific Gravity- this is the ratio of the density of a substance to the

density of a reference substance which is usually water, the formula used
is density of substance/ density of water.

5. Density- the mass per unit volume of a substance. The formula is density
= Mass / Volume

6. Unit Weight.
 Bulk unit weight- is the weight of a soil per unit volume and that includes
void spaces. Formula – bulk unit weight = (total weight of soil) / (total
volume of soil )

Dry unit weight- the weight of dry soil per unit volume. The formula is
(dry weight of soil ) / ( total volume of soil)

Effective unit weight- is the unit weight of a soil without voids filled with
water. Formula – (Dry unit weight ) + ( Water content x unit weight of
water) .

7. Porosity
Primary porosity- is the inherent porosity of a material.

Secondary porosity- these are porosity created by geological processes

such as fractures.

Total porosity- the sum of the primary and secondary porosity

Effective porosity- these contribute to the fluid flow

8. Saturation- this is where pores or voids in material are filled with fluid
and this is usually water

9. Permeability:

Relative Permeability- the ratio of effective permeability of fluids in a

porous medium to the absolute permeability

Absolute permeability- the ability of a porous medium to transmit fluids.

10.Strength
Shear strength- the ability of a material to withstand shearing force

Tensile strength- the maximum stress the material can withstand without
breaking when under tension
 Compressive strength- the maximum compressive stress a material can
endure.

11.Deformability:
Strain – a measure of deformation as a result of stress

Settlement- the downward movement of the ground which is usually

vertical

12. Abrasivity- the ability of a material to wear or to damage another

through fiction.

13. Environmental Reactivity- the reaction of a material with its

environment which can include chemical reactions and also changes
when it’s exposed to certain conditions such as exposure to moisture
and temperature changes etc.