Geotechnical Properties of
Glacigenic Soils
and Slope Stability
David A. Franzi
Center for Earth and Environmental Science
SUNY Plattsburgh
General Laboratory Format
Skills and content exercises are organized
around a central research question.
• Introduction
• Provide background information and
references
• Formulate hypotheses and experimental
design
• Articulate workload and final product
expectations
• Content and Skills Exercises (data
collection & analysis)
• Individual or small group assignments
• Compilation of cohort database
• Interim reports are due upon completion of
each exercise
• Capstone Exercise (synthesis)
• Students are encouraged to discuss
interpretations but writing is an individual effort
• Emphasize connections between effective
writing
Laboratory Exercises for
Geotechnical Properties of Soils and Mass Wasting
Skills & Content Exercises
• Morphometry (topographic mapping & cross
sections)
• Sediment Composition (mineral, chemical,
and etc.)
• Gravimetric Analyses
• Particle Size Analyses
• Atterberg Limits
• Soil Classification
• Hammer-Seismic Profiling
• Shear Tests
Capstone Exercises
•
•
•
•
Soils as Engineering Materials
Glacial Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
Sediment Provenance
Slope Stability Analysis
Landslide Susceptibility Project Structure
1) Topographic and Geologic Survey (Weeks 1-2)*
•
•
•
Measure stratigraphic section
Collect and prepare samples for gravimetric and particle-size analyses
Produce a topographic map and geological cross-section
2) Gravimetric Analysis (Week 2)
•
•
Lab analysis runs concurrently with topographic and geological survey exercise,
data are reported with the particle-size analysis
Determine volumetric water content, porosity and density of soil samples
3) Particle-size Analyses (Weeks 3 and 4)
•
•
Content
and
Skills
Sieve and hydrometer (or Coulter Counter) methods
Compile hourly and daily databases
4) Atterberg Limits (Week 5)
•
Determine liquid and plastic limits on clay soils
5) Soil Classification (Week 6)
•
Classify soil types using the Unified Soil Classification
– Synthesis
6) Slope Stability Assessment (Week 7)
*Interim reports are submitted at the end of each exercise. These are edited and included as appendices in the final report
Laboratory Exercises for
Geotechnical Properties of Soils and Mass Wasting
Materials and Supplies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
SoilTest Ely Volumeter
Soil Test Torvane and pocket penetrometer
Liquid-Limit cups
Aluminum moisture cans
Drying oven
Balance (± 0.001 g)
Standard surveying equipment
Shear strength sampling materials and testing
apparatus
Example:
Lake
Champlain
Landslide Susceptibility at the
Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina
PAFB
marina
landslide
NY
North
PAFB marina landslide
2
0
2
4
6
kilometers
8
10
100
0
100
meters
200
What factors control slope
processes at the PAFB Marina?
Contour interval = 1 meter
0
5
meters
10
Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina Section
West
East
42
40
Elevation (meters)
38
laminated to thinly bedded
marine sand and silt
Champlain
Sea
water
table
springs
36
34
fossiliferous
marine clay
lacustrine
varved clay
Massive to ripple
cross-laminated
medium to fine sand
Approximate
extent of
colluvium in
1996
Lake
Vermont
32
30
diamicton
Lake
Iroquois
breakout
deposit
colluvium
Lake Champlain
28
limestone
0
5
Vertical Exaggeration = 2X
Horizontal Scale (meters)
10
Gravimetric and Volumetric Data for Glacial Lacustrine and Marine Deposits at the
Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina
Elevation at top of section = 42 meters a.s.l.
Mass
Moist
Depth
Below
Top of
Section
(m)
Sample
Elevation
(m)
C1
12.0
30.0
95.15
C2
11.7
30.3
C3
11.1
C4
Mass
Dry
Mass of
Can
(g)
Sample
Volume
(cm3)
81.92
37.80
29.15
95.16
81.89
38.05
29.15
30.9
96.00
82.60
38.13
29.15
10.6
31.4
95.75
83.70
36.57
29.15
C5
10.3
31.7
88.11
71.24
37.17
29.15
C6
9.7
32.3
85.59
69.47
38.21
29.15
C7
9.3
32.7
91.97
75.16
38.44
29.15
C8
8.3
33.7
92.12
77.43
38.14
29.15
C9
7.3
34.7
94.95
83.24
36.03
29.15
S1
6.4
35.6
98.91
88.12
38.25
29.50
S2
5.9
36.1
94.61
83.03
36.53
29.50
S3
5.3
36.7
97.36
85.88
38.16
29.50
S4
4.7
37.3
93.15
81.63
37.66
29.50
S5
4.1
37.9
93.66
81.75
36.32
29.50
S6
3.5
38.5
94.57
82.68
37.87
29.50
S7
2.9
39.1
83.90
75.19
30.00
29.50
S8
1.6
40.4
73.41
71.45
30.13
29.50
S9
0.7
41.3
71.80
70.92
30.19
29.50
Sample
No.
(Mass of
Can +
Soil +
Water)
(mass of
can + soil)
(g)
(g)
Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina Section
Particle Size
Porosity (h),
Vol. Moist. Cont. (q)
Soil Density
h
rf
42
Elevation (meters a.s.l.)
40
generally
unfossiliferous,
thinly
laminated
laminated
to to
thinly
thinlybedded,
bedded,
marine
unfossiliferous
fine sand
, marine
fine
sandand
andsiltsilt
rsat
rb
Mean
(1s error bar)
q
water table
38
36
34
32
fossiliferous,
thinly
laminated
marine clay
thinly
laminated
varved
lacustrine
clay
medium sand
calcareous till
0
8
(f)
16
0
20
40
(%)
60
1.0
1.4
(g/cm3)
1.8
2.2
Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina Section
Torvane
Shear Strength
Atterberg Limits
Particle Size
Water Content (%)
42
Elevation (meters a.s.l.)
40
generally
unfossiliferous,
thinly
laminated
laminated
to to
thinly
thinlybedded,
bedded,
marine
unfossiliferous
fine sand
, marine
fine
sandand
andsiltsilt
Mean
(1s error bar)
water table
38
36
34
32
wn
fossiliferous,
thinly
laminated
marine clay
wLL
wPL
thinly
laminated
varved
lacustrine
clay
medium sand
calcareous till
0
8
(f)
16
0
20
40
(%)
60
0
3
(Kg/m2)
6
Plattsburgh Air Force Base Marina Section
Chittick
Carbonate
Loss on Ignition
42
Elevation (meters a.s.l.)
40
Microfauna
Total
Total
generally
unfossiliferous,
thinly
laminated
laminated
to to
thinly
thinlybedded,
bedded,
marine
unfossiliferous
fine sand
, marine
fine
sandand
andsiltsilt
Calcite
Candona
Forams
LOI550
water table
38
LOI1000
12,990 cal. y.b.p.
36
fossiliferous,
thinly
laminated
marine clay
Dolomite
34
32
thinly
laminated
varved
lacustrine
clay
medium sand
0
calcareous till
5
10
(%)
15
0
4
(%)
8
0
5
(specimens/gram)
(3-pt avg., max = 10)
10
Railroad activity (ground vibrations?) and drainage diversions
West
East
42
40
Elevation (meters)
38
36
34
laminated to thinly bedded
marine sand and silt
water
table
Ground-water sapping at the base of the sand section
fossiliferous
marine clay
lacustrine
varved clay
Weak, saturated clays
Massive to ripple
cross-laminated
medium to fine sand
Removal of lateral support
by beach erosion
32
30
28
diamicton
Lake
Iroquois
breakout
deposit
colluvium
Seasonal & longterm controls on
Lake Champlain
water level
limestone
0
5
Vertical Exaggeration = 2X
Horizontal Scale (meters)
10
INSTRUCTOR
JOINT
STUDENT
• Define learning objectives and
skills
• Set reasonable expectation levels
• Pose the question
• Provide background information
and references
• Familiarize yourself
with the question –
READ LITERATURE!
• Articulate workload and final
product expectations
• Formulate hypothesis(es)
• Design experiments
• Define project focus
• Plan field work
• Assign working
groups and tasks
• Anticipate
Contingencies
• Data Collection
• Data Analysis
• Mentor and Advise
Iterative
Process
• Data Synthesis
• Assessment
• Communicate
Results
Summary
Advantages of Long-Term Projects
• Provides time for students to reflect and
contemplate their results–students receive
feedback at interim steps;
• Stimulates student interest and creativity;
• Integrates skills and content from discrete
exercises;
• Links learning to real-world issues and
problems;
• Real data always produce unexpected
teaching points that enhance the planned
learning activity;
• Engages students in all facets of a project
(planning, execution and reporting);
• Reinforces learning from other courses and
experiences (e.g. knowledge of regional
geology, effective writing mathematics,
spreadsheets, and etc.);
• Helps ease the transition from the mindset of
student to professional geoscientist.
Exportability
• Site Availability
May be a problem for some campuses but
most activities can be derived from local
consultant or municipal case studies.
• Equipment Cost
Small-scale projects can be implemented for
several hundred to a few thousand dollars
• Time Constraints
Macomb Mtn. Landslide, Adirondack Mountains, NY
Additional Slides
Rethinking Class Time
Applied Environmental Science Program
SUNY Plattsburgh and
The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute
AESP Model:
• Fall semester residential program featuring
5 inter-related, upper-division undergraduate
environmental science and geology classes
• Constructivist pedagogy; emphasis upon
small-group, project-based learning
• Day-long course format provides
pedagogical flexibility that;
• Creates an informal student-centered learning
environment
• Allows seamless integration of lecture instruction and
field or laboratory projects
• Facilitates inclusion of long-term projects
• Increases effective geographic range for field
excursions
• Affords time for reflection and contemplation
Slump at Whallonsburg, NY
July, 1987
Oblique Aerial Photograph
Toe of Slide – Bob Fuller for Scale
Slump at Whallonsburg, NY
July, 1987
Fissures in Overconsolidated Clays at Head Scarp
Jack Ridge Sampling Clay at Head Scarp
Toe of Secondary Slump